The trial of the Catholicos of All Armenians and six bishops was postponed due to the failure of the prosecution to appear, according to a lawyer.

ArmInfo. The latest court hearing in the criminal case against Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and six bishops did not take place due to the absence of the prosecution. This was announced by lawyer Ara Zohrabyan in a conversation with journalists outside the courthouse.

The lawyer suggested that the prosecution did not appear at the latest hearing due to its intention to delay the investigation. Zohrabyan, in this regard, recalled that the Catholicos of All Armenians and the bishops involved in the case were charged for fulfilling their canonical duties, which has nothing to do with obstructing the execution of a judicial decision. "The proceedings in the case in which the Catholicos of All Armenians was charged were previously terminated. The court concluded that it has no authority to examine matters related to internal church relations. Thus, this criminal prosecution was initially groundless and unfounded. Nevertheless, the Catholicos of All Armenians and high-ranking clergy continue to be charged in this case," Zohrabyan noted.

As the lawyer noted, due to this, the Catholicos of All Armenians and the bishops involved in the case cannot leave the country. "This deprives Karekin II of the opportunity to carry out his spiritual mission outside of Armenia, where dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church also operate. Such restrictions effectively create obstacles not only to the fulfillment of the Catholicos's spiritual mission, but also to the full functioning of the Church itself," the lawyer emphasized.

According to Zohrabyan, the delay in the investigation is also aimed at maintaining pressure on the Church. Regarding the case itself, the lawyer recalled that defrocked monastic Arman Saroyan had challenged the Supreme Patriarch's order dismissing him from his post.

At the same time, Zohrabyan stated that, regardless of the length of the current proceedings, the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) will be able to initiate appropriate legal proceedings in the future regarding the illegal mismanagement and embezzlement of funds, as well as the illegal seizure of the diocesan administration and other church properties. According to the lawyer, the longer the process drags on, the greater the damages and the size of future claims will be.

It should be noted that the next court hearing in the criminal case against Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and six bishops has been postponed until December 4.

It should be noted that since May 2025, the Armenian authorities have been actively pursuing an anti-church policy and are seeking the resignation of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, who is elected to this position for life. This campaign has targeted both clergy and citizens who support the Church. In February of this year, the Armenian Prosecutor's Office opened a criminal case against Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, and he is banned from leaving the country. The case is based on charges of obstructing the execution of a court order related to the defrocking of Arman Saroyan. Khachatur Galstyan was appointed prosecutor for the criminal case. Several other high-ranking clergymen are also involved in the case.