On January 27, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, by patriarchal decree and in accordance with a decision of the Supreme Spiritual Council, declared Bishop Gevorg Saroyan defrocked, returning him to lay status under his baptismal name, Arman Saroyan.
The decision cited Saroyan’s refusal to comply with a Patriarchal decree removing him as Primate of the Masis Diocese and ordering his return to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. By contesting the decision and filing a lawsuit, Church authorities stated, he obstructed the normal functioning of the Diocese and enabled state-affiliated interference in the internal life of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Supreme Spiritual Council concluded that through acts of insubordination, Saroyan violated his vow of obedience, warranting defrocking.
Church authorities noted that Saroyan had aligned himself with Nikol Pashinyan’s campaign for so-called “church reforms,” including calls for the resignation of the Catholicos, and said this alignment intensified external pressure on clergy who rejected the reform agenda.
In recent weeks, the Masyatsotn Diocese reported such pressure in Vosketap, where parish priest Father Artashes Hakobyan withdrew a statement supporting “church reforms,” later saying it had been made under external influence and psychological pressure. Individuals described by the Diocese as aligned with Pashinyan’s campaign subsequently demanded that he vacate the Saint Sahak–Mesrop Church, threatening to change the locks. The Diocese condemned the incident as unlawful interference, stressing that the church is owned by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and cannot be seized by local authorities.
Church officials warned that these developments reflect a sustained campaign driven by Nikol Pashinyan to challenge the Church’s authority, reframe internal ecclesiastical matters as political “reforms,” and apply pressure on clergy, raising serious concerns over direct political interference in the Church’s canonical life.
