Armenian authorities` attacks on Garegin II inadmissible - Russian  Orthodox Church 

ArmInfo. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) perceives with "great concern" the attacks of the Armenian authorities on the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church,  Garegin II; such interference in the internal affairs of the church  in a secular state is unacceptable. Deputy head of the Synodal  Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for Church Relations with  Society and the Media Vakhtang Kipshidze stated this in an interview  with the RT television channel.

"We perceive with great concern the negative media background that  the Armenian authorities are creating around the Armenian Apostolic  Church, with which our Church has maintained long-standing sisterly  relations. Attempts to attack the head of this Church are  interference in its internal affairs, which is unacceptable for the  authorities in a secular state," he said, TASS reports.

Since May 29, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his  associates have been systematically attacking the Armenian Apostolic  Church. This campaign began when, at a government meeting, Pashinyan  compared Armenian churches to closets where "all sorts of junk" is  stored.

Then followed his statements on social networks, where the Armenian  Prime Minister used rude language against the hierarchs of the AAC  and accused one of the archbishops of sexual promiscuity. At the same  time, the Prime Minister demanded that all priests who violated their  vow of celibacy be defrocked. Similar attacks were made by the Prime  Minister's wife, Anna Hakobyan, who called the Patriarch "the main  mafioso." Pyashinyan then called for "effective steps" that would  lead to the replacement of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and  announced the creation of a special coordination group for "the  liberation of the Residence of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin"  and the settlement of organizational issues for holding new elections  of the Catholicos. Pashinyan specified that followers of the AAC  could become members of the Coordination Group. At the same time, the  Prime Minister intends to choose the first 10 members of the  Coordination Group himself.

These actions of Pashinyan are unconstitutional in nature, and  according to lawyers, are an attempt to overthrow the constitutional  order in the country.