Tag: Armenian Church
Last updated: May 29, 2026
The Armenian Apostolic Church, founded in 301 AD when Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion, is among the world’s oldest Christian institutions. Its spiritual center is the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and it is led by the Catholicos of All Armenians, currently Garegin II.
Groong has covered the Armenian Church across more than 80 episodes, from its theological and cultural role in Armenian identity to its increasingly contested political position. Coverage includes the church’s response to the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war, the emergence of tensions between the Catholicosate and the Pashinyan government, and the dramatic events of 2025 in which multiple senior archbishops were arrested.
A central theme in recent coverage is the Pashinyan government’s effort to weaken the Armenian Apostolic Church under the framing of institutional reform. Critics argue that the government has used legislative and legal mechanisms to reduce the church’s influence in Armenian public life — stripping its exemptions, challenging its land holdings, and targeting clergy through the court system — in what many observers describe as a politically motivated campaign to neutralize a powerful institution that has historically commanded broad public trust.
The arrests of multiple senior clergy in 2025 form the sharpest edge of this confrontation. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan led a mass opposition movement before his arrest in June. Archbishops Mikayel Ajapahyan and Arshak Khachatryan and Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan were also arrested later that year. These events have made the church-state relationship one of the most closely watched dimensions of Armenian domestic politics heading into the 2026 parliamentary elections.
Preserving Armenian Heritage - Maghakyan, Khatchadourian, Maranci | Ep #77 - June 30, 2021 [EP77]
Posted on Wednesday, Jun 30, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh, Armenian Church, Human Rights, Genocide, Syria
Preserving Armenian Heritage
Topics:
- What is Armenian Art and Architecture?
- Where does Artsakhâs Heritage fit in the larger Armenian picture?
- What Armenian Heritage fell under Azerbaijani Control in 2020?
- What is Caucasus Heritage Watch and What does it do?
- What can International Organizations do for Artsakh?
- How do International Instruments fail in Preserving Armenian Heritage?
Host:
- Simon Maghakyan is an independent researcher of cultural destruction and lecturer in International Relations at the University of Colorado Denver.
Guests
- Dr. Lori Khatchadourian is Associate Professor of
ARF-Dashnaktsutyun: Roadmap & Challenges - Conversation with Giro Manoyan | (Ep #69) - June 11, 2021 [EP69]
Posted on Friday, Jun 11, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Russia, Turkey, Armenian Church, Economy, Iran, Lebanon, Middle East | Series: COG
ARF-Dashnaktsutyun: Roadmap and Challenges
Guest
- Giro Manoyan has been a member of the ARF-D Bureau since 2015. Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, he moved to Montreal, Canada in 1976. He has served as the Executive Secretary of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, as well as the Editor in Chief of the Horizon Armenian Weekly. In 1999 he moved to Yerevan and has served as the Executive Director of the Bureau of the ARF-D, in charge of the Armenian Cause, Hai Tahd Central Committee.
Topics
- The ARF in the Politics of Armenia
- On the War in 2020
- On the Upcoming Elections in 2021
- On the
ARF-Dashnaktsutyun: Roadmap & Challenges - Conversation with Giro Manoyan | (Ep #69) - June 11, 2021 [EP69]
Posted on Friday, Jun 11, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Russia, Turkey, Armenian Church, Economy, Iran, Lebanon, Middle EastARF-Dashnaktsutyun: Roadmap and Challenges
Guest
- Giro Manoyan has been a member of the ARF-D Bureau since 2015. Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, he moved to Montreal, Canada in 1976. He has served as the Executive Secretary of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, as well as the Editor in Chief of the Horizon Armenian Weekly. In 1999 he moved to Yerevan and has served as the Executive Director of the Bureau of the ARF-D, in charge of the Armenian Cause, Hai Tahd Central Committee.
Topics
- The ARF in the Politics of Armenia
- On the War in 2020
- On the Upcoming Elections in 2021
- On the
PM Roadmap, NA Polls | Syunik | Recognized. What next? | Stepanakert | Space! - Ep #59: 2021-04-25 [EP59]
Posted on Monday, Apr 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Israel, Artsakh, China, Syria, Armenian Church | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - April 25, 2021
Topics:
- Nikol Pashinyanâs Roadmap & Snap Parliamentary Polls
- The Visit to Syunik
- Biden Recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Now What?
- Update from Stepanakert
- Are we Going to Mars?
Guests:
- Tevan Poghosyan
- Emil Sanamyan
Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan
Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210425.html Episode 59 | Recorded: April 25, 2021
PM Roadmap, NA Polls | Syunik | Recognized. What next? | Stepanakert | Space! - Ep #59: 2021-04-25 [EP59]
Posted on Monday, Apr 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Israel, Artsakh, China, Syria, Armenian ChurchANN/Groong Week in Review - April 25, 2021
Topics:
- Nikol Pashinyanâs Roadmap & Snap Parliamentary Polls
- The Visit to Syunik
- Biden Recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Now What?
- Update from Stepanakert
- Are we Going to Mars?
Guests:
- Tevan Poghosyan
- Emil Sanamyan
Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan
Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210425.html Episode 59 | Recorded: April 25, 2021
Pashinyan goes to Moscow | Elections | POW debacle | Covid Update | Economy (Ep #57) - Apr 11, 2021 [EP57]
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 13, 2021 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Economy, Politics | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - April 11, 2021
Topics:
- Mr. Pashinyan goes to Moscow
- Election Politics
- The POW debacle
- A Coronavirus Update
- The State of the Economy
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Hrant Mikaelian
Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan
Episode 57 | Recorded: April 12, 2021
Pashinyan goes to Moscow | Elections | POW debacle | Covid Update | Economy (Ep #57) - Apr 11, 2021 [EP57]
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 13, 2021 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Economy, PoliticsANN/Groong Week in Review - April 11, 2021
Topics:
- Mr. Pashinyan goes to Moscow
- Election Politics
- The POW debacle
- A Coronavirus Update
- The State of the Economy
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Hrant Mikaelian
Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan
Episode 57 | Recorded: April 12, 2021
Latest IRI Poll Results | Armen Grigoryan Interview | Snap On, Snap Off (Ep #53) - 03/14/2021 [EP53]
Posted on Monday, Mar 15, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, India, Russia, Azerbaijan, China, Economy, Human Rights, Iran | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - March 14, 2021
Topics:
- Newly Released IRI Poll Results
- Armen Grigoryanâs Interview
- Snap On, Snap Off!
Guests
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Emil Sanamyan
- Alen Zamanyan
Hosts
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210314.html Episode 53 | Recorded on March 14, 2021
Latest IRI Poll Results | Armen Grigoryan Interview | Snap On, Snap Off (Ep #53) - 03/14/2021 [EP53]
Posted on Monday, Mar 15, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, India, Russia, Azerbaijan, China, Economy, Human Rights, IranANN/Groong Week in Review - March 14, 2021
Topics:
- Newly Released IRI Poll Results
- Armen Grigoryanâs Interview
- Snap On, Snap Off!
Guests
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Emil Sanamyan
- Alen Zamanyan
Hosts
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210314.html Episode 53 | Recorded on March 14, 2021