A scheduled meeting of the Armenia-based members of the Supreme Spiritual Council at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, chaired by the Catholicos of All Armenians, was not held due to the absence of several key clerics. The Information Service of the Mother See reported that Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan, Archbishop Abraham Mkrtchyan, Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, and Bishop Gevorg Saroyan did not attend.
These clerics had recently met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and signed a joint statement of bishops critical of the Catholicos.
Despite the canceled session, those present discussed the statement published on November 27 by nine bishops. They noted that the document misrepresented the work of the committee established to review the case of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan.
According to the statement, the committee never held an official session and failed to provide Archbishop Khachatryan the opportunity to present his case. The findings submitted to the Catholicos were not compiled through proper procedure.
It also emphasized that the committee made no official request to the Investigative Committee to examine the video allegedly involving Archbishop Khachatryan. One member's independent conclusion was obtained unlawfully, was incomplete, and could not be deemed credible or acceptable by the Catholicos.
On November 24, committee chair Archbishop Khajak Parsamyan sent a letter to the Catholicos, proposing the formation of a new three-member committee to ensure a fair review of the matter and possibly discuss the temporary suspension of Archbishop Khachatryan. On November 25, current committee members were informed and agreed to this proposal.
The Mother See condemned the accusations in the bishops’ statement as unfounded and fabricated. It called the targeting of the Catholicos and the promotion of biased narratives unacceptable.
The statement stressed that clergy must return to canonical order and raise their concerns through the Church’s supreme bodies to avoid disrupting its unity.
A group of senior Armenian Apostolic Church bishops had earlier accused Catholicos Karekin II of covering up misconduct by Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan and violating his spiritual oath. Prime Minister Pashinyan met with them and expressed support for their position.
