Prime Minister again accuses head of Church of illegitimacy, vows to attend mass by defiant priest
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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed today that he plans to attend a Mass at the Hovhannavank Monastery in the village of Ohanavan on November 2.
The Mass will be celebrated by Priest Aram Asatryan, who was defrocked by Catholicos Karekin II earlier in October for “discrediting the Armenian Church” and “violating ecclesiastical order.” He was defrocked after giving a televised interview in which he accused high-ranking clergymen of pressuring subordinates to attend opposition rallies.
The priest has defied the defrocking order and continues to serve at the monastery. He already celebrated a Mass there attended by Prime Minister Pashinyan last Sunday.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has accused Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, of illegitimately holding office and urged him to step down. Pashinyan has accused the Catholicos of breaching his vow of celibacy and fathering a child. In turn, the clergymen have accused the Prime Minister of waging an anti-church campaign. Pashinyan has denied this, describing himself as a devout follower of the Armenian Apostolic Church who seeks to “liberate” it from corruption and illegitimacy.
Karekin II has so far ignored the accusations.
On October 29, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed that he would once again attend the Mass. “In essence, sensational news from Ktrij Nersisyan,” Pashinyan said, referring to the Catholicos by his secular name as a sign of not recognizing him as the head of the Church. “He has remembered that the Armenian Apostolic Church has a Canon Law book, and by citing this book he is trying to substantiate that Priest Aram Asatryan cannot celebrate a Mass at Hovhannavank because he has been declared defrocked.
That’s exactly the issue — according to the Canon Law, Ktrij Nersisyan cannot be the Catholicos of All Armenians, because he has broken his vow of celibacy and has therefore been defrocked. Consequently, someone who has been defrocked cannot defrock another. Thus, Father Aram can celebrate the Divine Liturgy at Hovhannavank, and I, just like last Sunday, will also attend the Holy and Divine Liturgy at Hovhannavank this Sunday,” Pashinyan said.