ANALYSIS: Public Pushback Forces Pashinyan to Hit Pause on Anti-Church Campaign

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s escalating campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church has officially stalled — and it’s not hard to see why.

According to reports from Iravunk and sources inside the ruling Civil Contract Party (CC), grassroots surveys across Armenia revealed a clear message: the public isn’t on board with the government’s efforts to undermine one of the oldest and most sacred institutions in Armenian life. From Yerevan neighborhoods to rural provinces, residents have pushed back — some warning ruling party members, “after you, that dirt will remain on your children’s skirts.”

The reaction was enough for Pashinyan to slam the brakes. According to insiders, he’s now “taking a timeout” while collecting so-called “compromising material” on the Church — a pause that critics see as a desperate attempt to salvage a floundering PR stunt.

While Pashinyan accuses the Armenian Church and its leaders of corruption and immorality, the people aren’t buying it. In fact, public support for the Armenian Apostolic Church is growing. A recent poll by the US-based International Republican Institute found 58% of Armenians support the Church, up 10% from last year.

It’s clear: despite Pashinyan’s attempts to paint the Church as outdated or problematic, the faithful see it as a symbol of national resilience, especially in the face of political instability, territorial losses, and declining national morale.

Critics say Pashinyan’s war on the Church is a smokescreen — a way to distract from his government’s failures:

• The 2020 Artsakh War, which ended in a national tragedy.
• The abandonment of Artsakh in 2023, a blow to Armenian unity.
• Ongoing Azeri military presence on Armenian soil since 2021.
• A long list of broken promises and constitutional violations.

Instead of answering for these failures, Pashinyan has zeroed in on the Church — trying to dismantle it from the inside, even suggesting the appointment of a married priest as interim head, in violation of centuries-old canon law. He also proposed a bizarre “moral fitness” test for future Catholicos candidates — a move many saw as both arrogant and unworkable.

So far, none of Pashinyan’s plans have materialized. A rumored public protest in Etchmiadzin, meant to “liberate” the Mother See, never happened. Neither did his calls for public pressure to oust Catholicos Karekin II, who remains firm in his role despite a flood of personal attacks from both Pashinyan and his wife, Anna Hakobyan.

But Church supporters aren’t letting their guard down. Many have vowed to physically protect Etchmiadzin if necessary — a serious warning, especially considering how deeply intertwined the Church is with Armenian history and identity.

The Armenian Apostolic Church has endured centuries of persecution, invasion, and political interference. It has baptized Armenia’s kings, buried its martyrs, and stood as the moral compass for generations.

Now, it faces a different kind of threat — not from outside invaders, but from within the halls of its own government. Yet in the face of that threat, it’s clear: the Church still stands, and the people are standing with it.

The pause in Pashinyan’s campaign may be temporary, but the message from Armenians is not: hands off our Church.