Former Ambassador to the Holy See Mikael Minasyan wrote:
“Historically, there are two groups of people who wage war against the Church.
1. Church members and those who know the essence of the system, the past, and the history of the institution as a whole, and 2. Those who declare war on the Church from the outside, without understanding what it represents, without knowing its history, and without understanding the structure that embodies the faith. In this war, the former have a chance to win, while the latter are doomed to defeat, because they do not realize and do not know that it is impossible to defeat a spiritual architecture and an “astral constitution” whose victory lies in defeat. It is difficult to defeat a structure whose essence is sacrifice, self-denial, and constant deprivation.
Leaving aside the obvious geopolitical aspects of the events surrounding the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian authorities’ local goal of subjugating the Church is a fanatical desire to change history. Every revolution is a change in the historical narrative that continues. Until a counterrevolution occurs, an even greater revolution erupts, or it ends due to popular indifference or fatigue.
The first attack on the Armenian Apostolic Church occurred at the very beginning of the revolution’s victory. The “New Armenia, New Patriarch” movement, which began in 2018, was led by several high-ranking clergy with the support of revolutionaries. It was not completed for two reasons: 1. The church leadership demonstrated great flexibility, engaging in dialogue with the authorities and accepting the revolution; and 2. The bishops who led this movement were not hopeless scoundrels (Kchoyan and company were not among them). The rebels of that time preferred history to power and history. Today’s “Kchoyans” chose power, not authority.
2018 was merely an attack. The government had only just begun its real attempt to seize the Church. There are two reasons for this. The first is geopolitical, the second is historical. Nikol Pashinyan knows: the Church, by its very nature, is a historian and storyteller. And if the Revolution cannot change facts, it must change history.
After 2021, by popular vote, Nikol Pashinyan retained power and subjugated all institutions. Everything seemed to be proceeding according to a predictable scenario, but the Church thwarted Nikol Pashinyan’s plans. After Artsakh’s capitulation, he decided to silence everyone, to ignore Artsakh, the prisoners, and the defeat. Meanwhile, the Church and the Patriarch became the only pan-Armenian institutions that raised these issues both domestically and internationally. And Nikol Pashinyan understood this. Since the Church cannot be silenced, it must be changed. Since 2018, Nikol Pashinyan’s example with the “unjustly accused” Pope-King has spoken of nothing but this: the “faulty” history of the Church.
Nikol Pashinyan has realized: he has already been declared guilty and a traitor. There is a public consensus and mandate for this, and the Church will do so by correcting the people. Why the Church? Because this is one of its historical missions. Nikol Pashinyan is suffocated by this prospect. Moreover, he has found himself in the purgatory of history, realizing that the problem is both his past and his future. And he is making even greater mistakes. The mistake he is making today adds to the burden of his past sins and makes the future that awaits him even more hopeless.
Meanwhile, Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II is experiencing perhaps his happiest period. A man considered close to the authorities, called a courtier, is now becoming a historical figure resisting persecution by the authorities. All of Garegin II’s earthly mistakes and sins are overshadowed by the light of his historical mission after every blow from the authorities. The greater the blow to Garegin II, the brighter he will shine in history. Because the people have already chosen a traitor between the Supreme Patriarch and Nikol Pashinyan. A traitor who turned out to be the devil. His movement against the Church, even for the sake of… Unbelievers, serves as proof.
Those clergy who have experienced oppression and hardship understand this well. Everyone understands how history will remember those who were imprisoned, both great and small. The deprivations of His Holiness Arshak and other imprisoned bishops, and the struggle against them, entreat these clergy into history, and on the right side. Now it no longer matters who led which foundation, who rejected or supported whom, because earthly sins are erased by betraying history. If tomorrow Archbishop Arshak is found hanged in the basement of the National Security Service (pardon the example, Archbishop), it will be the best gift both to the Church and to Archbishop Arshak, whom the people will quickly canonize and acquire the first martyr of their conscience in the 21st century.
…Power is an interesting disease. When you’re in power, you don’t feel time. It flies by and seems like an eternity. And no matter how many reports or comments you read on social media, it’s still… You don’t feel reality. And whether you like it or not, you lose touch with the people.
I’m sure that the “auditors” of history…
They haven’t yet understood the most painful thing for themselves: the people have truly decided who the traitor and culprit is, even for the sins they expected. And they will not forgive them for their own wrong choice. And they will not forgive them for their own disappointment. And they have turned on the meat grinder that will devour Nikol Pashinyan and his supporters. Every day multiplies Nikol Pashinyan’s sins and the people’s anger.
The situation is very simple: the people abandoned the “Karabakh clan” in the past, and Nikol Pashinyan abandoned Artsakh. The people won and sent Serzh Sargsyan home, and with Nikol Pashinyan’s help, they silenced Robert Kocharyan, imprisoned him, and then completely destroyed him, defeating all the “demons” (it also turned out that most of the “demons” were stuffed animals). Azerbaijan isn’t attacking, friendship with Turkey has begun, there’s money, Russia hasn’t punished them, and Iran is no longer useful.
But happiness hasn’t arrived. Therefore, there must be someone responsible for the country’s endless problems: from the decline of democracy to the abolition of the justice system, from the enormous national debt to the surrender of Artsakh, from the forgotten Baku prisoners to the 44-day treacherous war, from the divided nation to the attacked church. Nikol Pashinyan is the embodiment of these problems.
But for now, the people don’t blame Nikol Pashinyan directly for these problems, because he is their co-owner and bears responsibility for them. Ultimately, he chose this himself. And they are reminded of this choice daily by both Nikol Pashinyan and the opposition. This is precisely why they express their dissatisfaction with Nikol Pashinyan through facts or myths about money and corruption, which are given undue weight if we highlight Nikol Pashinyan’s bloody and historical sins.
A prime example is Anna Hakobyan, for whom hatred is tantamount to previous tolerance for Nikol Pashinyan. And reality is irrelevant here. Anna Hakobyan has become the “hic” of our time… and if previously, thanks to the Soros system, the people distributed the “hic” among a few people, today those who once made Anna Hakobyan Queen of Armenia have equated her with historical figures from Messalina to Imelda Marcos. And it doesn’t matter what Anna Hakobyan did or what she owned. All of this is the result of hatred expressed in folklore. And there is no antidote.
But the problem isn’t just rumors. All of Nikol Pashinyan’s decisions and steps are also meaningless. A new reform, asphalt, illuminated streets, or pension increases—all of this is perceived as trivial, ignored, and unappreciated. Every phrase that was once the subject of humor or admiration is now ridiculed or breeds new hatred.
As for replacing the Catholicos, Nikol Pashinyan has no good solution here either. Firstly, revolutionary methods don’t work. You must admit, if 20,000 people were with him, from Los Angeles to Krasnodar, people would flood social media, all of Echmiadzin would be covered in black banners reading “Karekin 74,” American Armenians in Glendale would demonstrate in front of the church shouting “murderer,” and the priests themselves would go to the Patriarch asking him to accept the will of the people.
This is precisely what Nikol Pashinyan was striving for when he started this movement. I’m saying you’re missing the reality of power. Nikol Pashinyan hasn’t realized that he doesn’t have the people. He doesn’t have them, even if he wins every election, starting today and for twenty years.
Because the people have made their most important choice: they have appointed the next and main culprit of their misfortunes. Why the main one? Because he was the first one they “elected.” The rest were “appointed” or considered “occupiers.”
And at the end of this movement… the new Catholicos will be cursed, if, of course, Nikol Pashinyan succeeds in replacing him. And Garegin II will be canonized or cursed if he accepts Nikol Pashinyan’s “religion.”
The people are watching all of this closely. And they are looking for the traitor’s accomplices. Ultimately, the people cannot be to blame.