The Catholicos and the bishops will participate in the first court hearing. Ara Zohrapyan
06-08-2026 10:23 Armenia Press of Diaspora
Sputnik. On August 7, at 16:00, the first session of the preliminary hearings of the criminal case against the Catholicos of All Armenians and six bishops who are members of the Supreme Spiritual Council will take place at the Court of General Jurisdiction of the Armavir region.
Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and the bishops will participate in the first court session. The information was shared by lawyer Ara Zohrapyan on his social media page.
As previously reported, the case against Catholicos Karekin II and six members of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church has been sent to court.
It should be noted that on August 7, at 16:00, the first session of the preliminary hearings of the criminal case against the Catholicos of All Armenians and six bishops who are members of the Supreme Spiritual Council will take place at the Court of General Jurisdiction of the Armavir region. The case will be examined by Judge Hakob Manukyan.
«The state's interference in the decisions of the Catholicos of All Armenians regarding the recall of the diocesan leader and the deprivation of the bishop's status is a violation of the Church's autonomy, the constitutional relationship between the state and the Church, and the fundamental principle of religious freedom, and a historically shameful event,» Zohrapyan wrote.
He reminded that the Armenian Patriarch is subjected to criminal prosecution for fulfilling his ecclesiastical and canonical duties.
«In this criminal case, the court will examine not only the charges against individual persons but also another important question: whether secular authority can intrude into the internal life of the Church and criminalize the exercise of the canonical authority of the Catholicos of All Armenians,» the lawyer informed.
Recall that on February 14, it became known that criminal prosecution had been initiated against the Catholicos in connection with the obstruction of the execution of a court act related to the former leader of the Masyatsotn Diocese, the defrocked Arman Saroyan, and his exit from Armenia has been prohibited.
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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