The trial of the Catholicos of All Armenians - Garegin II has begun in the Echmiadzin court, greeted with applause and the prayer "Our Father"

ArmInfo. The Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and six bishops - members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, arrived at the Court of General Jurisdiction of First Instance of the Armavir region, where the first hearing of the criminal case initiated against them began under the chairmanship of Judge Akop Manukyan.

In connection with this, supporters of the Catholicos of All Armenians gathered near the courthouse. They greeted Garegin II and the bishops with applause and the prayer "Our Father." In a conversation with journalists, lawyer Ara Zograbyan noted that Garegin II is essentially accused of performing his canonical duties. "This is an obvious illegal and political process against the Catholicos of All Armenians. Further details will be provided after the hearing," Zograbyan said.

In turn, Aram Vardevanyan, a deputy from the "Strong Armenia" bloc, stated that as a follower of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), he feels unbearable pain due to the fact that such illegal actions are taking place against the Catholicos of All Armenians. "I believe that the lawyers representing His Holiness will properly do everything required of them. I think it is too early to say how it will all end. At the stage of the preliminary court hearing, there is a possibility of terminating the criminal prosecution. We hope that this opportunity will be used. But the fact is that we are dealing with an illegal process," Vardevanyan emphasized. It should be recalled that since May 2025, the Armenian authorities have launched an active anti-church policy and are seeking the resignation of the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, who is elected to this position for life. As part of this campaign, both clergy members and citizens supporting the Church are subjected to persecution. In February of this year, the Armenian Prosecutor's Office initiated a criminal case against the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, and his departure from the country is prohibited. The case was initiated on charges of obstructing the execution of a court ruling related to the defrocking of Arman Saroyan. Prosecutor Khachatur Galstyan was appointed to the criminal case. Several other high-ranking clergymen are also involved in the case.