ACPR releases urgent report on Armenian government`s interference  with Armenian church

ArmInfo.  The ACPR (Armenian Center for Political Rights) has released an urgent new report on the Armenian government's interference with the Armenian church.

Highlights (or lowlights):

Armenia's National Security Service is pressuring priests not to use  the name of the Catholicos in the liturgy.

The prime minister has assumed leadership of a group of bishops  calling for the Catholicos' removal, effectively fomenting a schism  in the church.

In January, the Armenian authorities placed travel bans on six  bishops, two weeks before a planned church assembly in Austria.

The report is essential reading for anyone concerned with human  rights in Armenia:

As a reminder, since May 2025, the Armenian authorities have been  pursuing an active 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. Currently, four high- ranking clergy  are imprisoned on trumped-up charges as part of this anti-church  campaign. Furthermore, the Armenian prime minister and 10 schismatic  bishops signed a framework document on the so-called renewal of the  Armenian Church. It should be noted that, according to the  Constitution, Armenia is a secular state, where church and state are  separate. However, the "exclusive mission" of the Armenian Apostolic  Church (AAC) in preserving national identity is recognized.