Amid the escalating government-church conflict in Armenia, the division in society threatens to deepen. Kommersant

The standoff between the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) and the country’s authorities has led to a serious rift among the clergy and society, Kommersant writes.

As it is noted, this year, Armenian law enforcement agencies accused the “oligarchic clergy” of plotting to seize power, opening criminal cases against several clergy.

In a country where the church enjoys a high level of public trust (70% on average), this situation has led to an inevitable rift, dividing the church itself into two camps.

This was fully evident on December 18, when ten bishops arrived at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, accompanied by National Security Service officers. They were then joined by dozens of people demanding the resignation of Karekin II. Although the protests at the residence yielded no results, amid discussions of possible risks, rumors emerged that Karekin II, in order to avoid these risks, might move to Russia and lead the AAC from there.

The website writes, that Garegin II himself, who has criticized Nikol Pashinyan for his foreign policy since 2020, including for the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh, has remained largely silent on such rumors, as on most government statements. He has also never commented on the prospects of a personal meeting with the prime minister, which the latter has repeatedly allowed. Amid the lack of such dialogue and the escalation of the government-church conflict in recent months, the rift in society threatens to deepen further.