Archbishop under scrutiny over alleged intimate videos refuses to step down for now, denies wrongdoing

An Archbishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church facing accusations of breaching his vow of celibacy has once again denied the allegations and indicated that he has no intention of resigning for now. 

Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, the Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin, held a press conference on Monday to address the developments.

He said that although he has no intention to resign, he does not rule out such a move if it is deemed necessary in the Church’s interests.

“When I assess that it is effective and beneficial from the perspective of the Church’s interests, I am ready to take any step—not only to suspend my service, but even to [leave the priesthood]. In that regard, I see no problem. However, I am not willing to take any action that could imply that what is being attributed to me is correct,” he said.

The Archbishop again claimed that the intimate videos attributed to him are fake. He added that “no threats or pressures” can make him abandon his convictions.

He also said he has unwillingly appeared “at the center of some political and public processes.”

Intimate videos allegedly showing the Archbishop with a woman surfaced online earlier in October, prompting calls for his defrocking due to a breach of his vow of celibacy. The Archbishop has maintained ever since that the videos are fake, while investigators looking into how the video was made have claimed that the footage is authentic.

Catholicos Karekin II, who has himself faced accusations of illegitimacy by government officials, established a commission tasked with investigating the videos. A group of clergymen later released a statement accusing Karekin II of inaction regarding the matter.