Pashinyan says he seeks to restore unity between Church and people

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan denied on Thursday that his administration’s efforts to reform the Armenian Apostolic Church could create division.

Speaking at a press conference on January 8, Pashinyan said the actual division between the Church and the people occurred much earlier.

“The people of Armenia have been alienated from the Church because the conduct of the Church’s upper hierarchy has been aimed at isolating the Church from the people,” the prime minister said.

He added that the process of reforming the Church is actually drawing more people to liturgies. "Even opposition figures are ascending to the altar, participating in services, and becoming deacons."

“Our objective is to restore the unity between the people and the Church,” Pashinyan said.

Nikol Pashinyan also commented on the pilgrimage march he convened on Christmas Day, stating that, in his view, it was quite well attended. He denied reports that most of the attendees were government employees.

“There were government officials and ordinary citizens there; during the march, mothers of fallen soldiers approached me, residents of the regions were present, and there were people who had come from abroad to take part in the pilgrimage. Employees of the state apparatus constituted an overwhelming minority of the participants,” Pashinyan said.