Despite a sustained government campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church, public confidence in the institution remains among the highest in Armenia, at roughly 70%, matching the level of trust in the armed forces, according to a survey by the Arar Foundation for Civilizational Studies.
The foundation’s executive director, Armen Khachikyan, noted that both the Church and the army continue to command the strongest trust among citizens, even as Nikol Pashinyan’s government intensifies its pressure on the clergy.
The campaign against the Church began in May and June 2024, when Pashinyan publicly accused it of corruption and political interference, and moved to limit its influence in state and educational affairs. These statements were followed by a coordinated media offensive and administrative pressure on Church institutions and clergy.
In 2025, the Holy See defrocked two priests, Stepan Asatryan and Vardan Hunanyan, for cooperating with government structures and violating canonical order. The confrontation escalated when Pashinyan personally attended a liturgy in October 2025 officiated by the defrocked Asatryan, an act the Church condemned as a gross canonical violation and a criminally punishable offense.
Despite this, the October 2025 survey found that 45% of respondents would join a national unity initiative led by the Church, and 68% of Generation Z respondents said they would support such a call, indicating continued respect for the Church’s moral authority.
The survey, conducted from October 5 to 25 among 1,123 participants, shows that the Armenian Apostolic Church remains one of the country’s most trusted and unifying institutions, even under direct political pressure.
