The World Council of Churches (WCC) has spoken out in support of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), which has been engaged in a years long cold war with the Armenian government.
The WCC also said it was concerned about “undue influence” in internal church matters.
Relations between the AAC and the government have been poor since Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018. Relations deteriorated even more sharply following Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
During the course of the conflict, between a third and half of the Church’s bishops have been arrested, supporters have said, while the head of the AAC has been barred from leaving the country. Critics have accused Pashinyan of acting like a Soviet-era dictator.
For his part, Pashinyan has said he is attempting to save the Church from “anti-Christian” and “anti-state” elements. Senior Church leaders have been accused of supporting the violent overthrow of a democratically elected government and of condoning calls for the assassination of government ministers.
One of the most high profile arrests was that of Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, who was sentenced to two years in jail in September 2025 for supposedly encouraging the overthrow of the government by undemocratic means.
Armenian prosecutors justified his imprisonment by pointing to a number of statements made by the archbishop appearing to call for a coup. In one instance, the archbishop told News.am, “I called for a coup to save the country from this madman, they are not saving it, they are also guilty of all this. This is not just a call, it must be done.”
In the most recent development Karekin II, head of the AAC, appeared in court on 7 August, alongside six senior clerics. They are accused of defying a court order requiring the Church to reinstate Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, whom Karekin had removed from office and subsequently laicised. If convicted, they reportedly face up to two years in prison.
In a joint statement the WCC’s central committee moderator, Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, and general secretary Dr Jerry Pillay said, “WCC, as a global fellowship of churches, affirms the vital role of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the spiritual, cultural, and historical life of the Armenian people and in the wider Christian family.
“As WCC, we express our concern about undue interference in inner church matters. We uphold the Armenian Church and its people in prayer and support during this time.”
