Priest Rejects Pressure to Omit Catholicos’s Name from Liturgy in Gyumri
Gyumri, May 9 – Father Ruben Gasparyan, a priest at St. Hakob Metsbnetsi Church in Gyumri, has voiced his strong disapproval regarding recent reports circulating online. These reports suggested that all priests in the Shirak Diocese, with the sole exception of Father Ruben, had agreed to omit the name of the Catholicos during a liturgy potentially attended by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Father Ruben firmly stated that he refused such requests, even when approached by representatives of the National Security Service.
“I told Karen that I have no right to do such a thing. For 25 years, I have mentioned the Catholicos’s name; what are we even talking about?” Father Ruben Gasparyan told “Azatutyun” in an interview.
Pashinyan’s Potential Visit and Clergy’s Stance
While there has been no official confirmation regarding Nikol Pashinyan’s intention to attend a liturgy in Gyumri this Sunday, on the day commemorating the victims of the earthquake, Father Ruben’s words suggest such a plan is in motion. Furthermore, according to Father Ruben, Pashinyan wishes for him to perform the liturgy, as the Prime Minister has previously attended a ceremony conducted by him. The priest is not opposed to performing the liturgy and considers the Prime Minister a devout Christian, but he respectfully asks for non-interference in church affairs. “We respect you; you should respect us too,” he stated.
National Security Service Intervention
Father Ruben revealed that he has been approached by several individuals regarding this matter, including employees of the National Security Service, who requested that the Catholicos’s name be omitted from the liturgy. “I said that I have mentioned it, I will mention it, and I will continue to mention it. Yesterday, by the way, the NSS from Shirak came here and said, ‘Father, we ask you…’ I said, ‘I know what you have come to ask for now.’ I said it is out of the question. The Catholicos is our Patriarch, and I have mentioned his name in liturgies for 25 years, and I will continue to do so.”
Broader Context: Church and State Relations
This incident highlights the ongoing tensions and complexities in the relationship between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the current political leadership. The omission of the Catholicos’s name from the liturgy is a matter of significant theological and canonical importance within the church, signifying a potential challenge to the spiritual authority of the Catholicos. The involvement of the National Security Service further underscores the political sensitivity surrounding religious practices and the role of the church in Armenian society.
The Armenian Apostolic Church has historically played a central role in the national identity and cultural preservation of Armenia. Any perceived attempt to influence its internal practices, particularly regarding the spiritual head of the church, can be met with strong resistance from the clergy and faithful.
This event in Gyumri follows other recent developments in Armenia, including reports of public criminal prosecution against a third person in the Vedi pedophilia case, the approval of school holiday dates for the 2026-2027 academic year, and the summoning of the Armenian Ambassador by the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding the provision of a platform to Zelensky. These events, while seemingly disparate, reflect a period of significant political and social shifts within the country.
The stance taken by Father Ruben in Gyumri serves as a powerful affirmation of the independence of the church and the steadfastness of its clergy in upholding established traditions and spiritual authority, even in the face of external pressures.
