On the upcoming and all future Sundays, Pashinyan to participate in   Holy and Immortal Liturgy

ArmInfo.  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan plans to participate in the Holy and  Immortal Liturgy on the upcoming and all future Sundays. He will also  participate in liturgies in churches where the clergy agree in  advance not to mention the name of the Catholicos of All Armenians,  Karekin II, during the service.

"I will not generally announce in  advance which church I will be attending the service at, as I believe  that supporters of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC)'s improvement  should participate in liturgies in all churches and, with Christian  love, urge the priests celebrating the holy and immortal liturgy not  to mention the name of Ktrich Nersisyan (the secular name of the  Katokikos of All Armenians - ed.)," Pashinyan said this morning  during a Facebook live broadcast.

The head of the Armenian cabinet also noted that various citizens  have invited him to participate in the liturgy at churches in their  communities. Pashinyan is prepared to accept the invitation, but only  if citizens agree in advance (with Christian love, tolerance, and  persuasiveness) with the priest to exclude the name of His Holiness  Karekin II from the commemoration during the service.

Recall, on the evening of January 4, Nikol Pashinyan signed the  so-called "roadmap for the improvement" of the Armenian Apostolic  Church with 10 rebellious bishops. On December 8, he announced the  so-called "roadmap for the renewal of the Armenian Apostolic Church  after the resignation of Ktrich Nersisyan (Catholicos of All  Armenians Karekin II)." The schismatic bishops, demanding the  resignation of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, came to the  prime minister's residence and signed the document one by one. Two of  the ten bishops who were not present in person gave their consent  remotely.  The document contains the following points:  1. Public  announcement of the reform program; 2. Removal of the current church  leader; 3. Election of a locum tenens of the patriarchal throne; 4.  Adoption of the Church Charter, which should establish "mechanisms  for maintaining established principles, ensuring financial  transparency, and proper conduct of the clergy"; 5. Election of the  Catholicos of All Armenians, "in accordance with the established  procedure".

It should be noted that, according to the Constitution of Armenia,  the Armenian Apostolic Church is separate from the state and has a  special mission.