Pashinyan aims to weaken and create chaos within the church, says religious expert

The Church is not a state institution where a flag is raised and an anthem is played. It is an independent religious organization, and introducing secular regulations into its life is wrong, religious expert Stepan Stepanyants said in an interview with Aysor.am.

Stepanyants stressed that performing the national anthem before Sunday liturgy is inappropriate, and placing a flag inside or on the grounds of a church is also unacceptable.

“Such practices have no place in the church. The anthem and flag are not religious symbols. The church knows best how to conduct its rituals. It is wrong for secular authorities to instruct the clergy on what to do. That would imply that laypeople should come and perform the liturgy. Interfering in the church’s internal life effectively means the state is intruding into religious matters, and that is not acceptable,” he said.

According to Stepanyants, Pashinyan aims to weaken and create chaos within the church.

“The state has no right to interfere in the church’s internal affairs – that is fundamental. Similar attempts were made in the 1920s and 1930s during the Soviet period, when the state used violence against the church. Imposing flags, interfering in the liturgy, and altering religious practices were presented as reforms. The authorities supported certain priests and pushed them into the church to exert influence. This is what anti-church or destructive activity looks like. If the state aims to undermine the church, this is the path it takes. Only clergy may decide church matters; laypeople have no such right,” he stated.

Stepanyants believes it is necessary to convene a national ecclesiastical assembly to address the challenges facing the church.

“The situation around the church is difficult. The authorities are seeking to remove the Catholicos from his position. Everything being done – including the proposals to play the anthem and place the flag in churches – serves this goal. The authorities hold all the levers of power. The church today is under pressure, lacking mechanisms to defend itself. It is in a very difficult state,” he added.

Earlier, Prime Minister Pashinyan suggested that choirs perform Armenia’s national anthem in all churches at 10:55 a.m. before Sunday liturgies. He also proposed discussing the placement of the national flag inside or near churches across Armenia.