Armenian premier to pray at Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin only after  he feels `sufficiently purified`

ArmInfo.  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will go to pray at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin only after he "feels sufficiently purified."

When we say that others are unworthy of our Holy See-and they are  not-we too must become worthy.  That's why we participate in the  liturgy," he said in a conversation with journalists in parliament on  November 12.

Since May 29, when Pashinyan compared Armenian churches to closets at  a government meeting, and his wife, Anna Hakobyan, called clergy the  country's main pedophiles, the head of the Armenian cabinet has been  raising the issue of celibacy among the Armenian Apostolic Church's  clergy. He claims to have evidence of celibacy violations by several  clergy, including Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, who, in his  opinion, should resign. He promises to provide evidence if the latter  decide to challenge his accusations in court.

For now, he has decided to create a special coordination group to  remove the Catholicos and participates in liturgies celebrated by the  defrocked clergy. According to him, these liturgies are part of the  program "to liberate the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and renew the  Armenian Apostolic Church."