The Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) has issued a strong statement condemning what it described as a politically driven campaign by Nikol Pashinyan’s government against the Armenian Apostolic Church.
In a declaration released on February 14, 2026, the organization said it “regrets and condemns in the strongest possible terms” what it characterized as repression targeting the Church in Armenia. The statement warned that recent developments had crossed a new threshold, pointing in particular to legal proceedings initiated against His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, over matters the CCAF argued fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the clergy.
According to the CCAF, the campaign against the head of the Armenian Church and its hierarchy constitutes an unacceptable attack on a central pillar of Armenian national identity. The group warned that such actions risk deepening internal divisions at a time when Armenia faces significant external challenges, stressing that internal confrontations could weaken both the homeland and the diaspora.
The French-Armenian body also expressed concern that the situation could create fractures within Armenian society, arguing that only adversaries of the Armenian people would benefit from such divisions. It described the actions against Church leadership as politically motivated and damaging to national unity and moral strength.
In its statement, the CCAF called on Nikol Pashinyan and his government to reverse course and put an immediate end to what it described as “excesses,” warning that the current trajectory evokes practices associated with darker periods of history. The organization further called for an immediate review of the decisions taken against the Catholicos, six bishops who are members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, and his secretary.
The statement concluded by reaffirming the French-Armenian community’s respect, solidarity, and full support for Karekin II and the Armenian Apostolic Church, underscoring the diaspora’s concern over the ongoing tensions between state authorities and religious leadership in Armenia.
