Masyatsotn Diocese issues statement on continued pressure against  local priest

ArmInfo.  The Masyatsotn Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church has issued a new statement, indicating ongoing pressure on Father Artashes Hakobyan, spiritual pastor of the Sahak- Mesrop Church in the village of   Vosketap.

 "We have received information that Nshan Hovhannisyan, an  official from the Vosketap administration, and Hamlet Goroyan, the  sponsor of the Sahak Mesrop Church construction, visited the church  today and demanded that the spiritual director, Father Artashes  Hakobyan, leave the building. They also stated that they would return  in an hour to change the keys to the church's entrance. Such actions  constitute an illegal and unacceptable interference in the internal  affairs of the Armenian Apostolic Church. We call for an immediate  halt to any actions that hinder the normal functioning of the Sahak  Mesrop Church and  the pressure being  exerted on the priest. At the  same time, we inform you that the aforementioned church is being  built on land owned by the Mother See of Etchmiadzin, and no  individual or organization has the right to arbitrarily privatize the  church or interfere with its activities," the diocese said in a  statement. 

Recall, in May 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan launched  a broad anti-church campaign, demanding the resignation of the  Catholicos of All Armenians. As part of this campaign, those who  disagree  are being detained under various serious charges.  Furthermore, 10 bishops joined Pashinyan's demand. On December 5,  2025, Pashinyan announced the creation of a coordinating council to  organize the reform process of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He  published a roadmap to address this issue. On the night of January 5,  a framework agreement was signed to establish the  council  with the  10 bishops who had joined his campaign. Moreover, it  recently became  known that one of the bishops aligned with Pahinyan's campaign,  Gevorg Saroyan, had filed a lawsuit against the Armenian Apostolic  Church, seeking to declare his removal from the post of Primate of  the Masyatsotn Diocese illegal. According to a notice posted in the  Datalex legal system, the bishop is asking the court to invalidate  the January 10, 2026, order by His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of  All Armenians regarding this matter. 

It should be noted that, according to the Constitution, Armenia is a  secular state, where the church is separated from the state. However,  the "exclusive mission" of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) in  preserving national identity is recognized.