Armenian Church
Last updated: May 29, 2026
The Armenian Apostolic Church — sometimes referred to in Western sources as the Armenian Orthodox Church, though the Church itself uses the Apostolic designation — was founded in 301 AD when Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion, making it 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.
Groong episodes that include this tag
Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Armenian Church.
Joel Veldkamp - Armenia’s Prayer Breakfast and the Crackdown on the Church | Ep 490, Nov 27, 2025 [EP490]
Posted on Thursday, Nov 27, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Armenian Church, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, Artsakh Blockade, Russia, Azerbaijan, China, Genocide
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Clergy Arrests in Armenia
- Church Under Pressure
- Prayer Breakfast Controversy
- Western Silence on Repression
- CSIâs Findings in Yerevan
Episode 490 | Recorded: November 25, 2025
#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #ChristianSolidarityInternational #HumanRightsInArmenia
Garen Jinbachian - OSCE Human Dimension Conf, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and The West | Ep 489, Nov 26, 2025 [EP489]
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 26, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Political Prisoners, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, Azerbaijan, Armenian Church, Georgia, Genocide, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon | Series: cog
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Azerbaijanâs war crimes and impunity
- Sham trials of Artsakh leaders
- Silence of the OSCE and the West
- Armeniaâs growing political repression
- Attacks on the Armenian Church
Episode 489 | Recorded: November 23, 2025
Garen Jinbachian - OSCE Human Dimension Conf, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and The West | Ep 489, Nov 26, 2025 [EP489]
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 26, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Political Prisoners, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, Azerbaijan, Armenian Church, Georgia, Genocide, Turkey, Iran, LebanonGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Azerbaijanâs war crimes and impunity
- Sham trials of Artsakh leaders
- Silence of the OSCE and the West
- Armeniaâs growing political repression
- Attacks on the Armenian Church
Episode 489 | Recorded: November 23, 2025
Hrant Mikaelian - Ukraine Talks, Armenia’s Crackdowns, and Rising Tensions | Ep 488, Nov 23, 2025 [EP488]
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 26, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenian Church, China, Economy, Iran, Middle East, Artsakh, Human Rights, Genocide, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO | Series: wir, video
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- High-Stakes Ukraine Talks
- Armeniaâs Growing Political Detentions
- Pashinyan Honored In Kazakhstan
- Rising Pressure On The Church
- Impeachment vs. Elections
- Pashinyan Seizes Power Grid
Episode 488 | Recorded: November 24, 2025
Hrant Mikaelian - Ukraine Talks, Armenia’s Crackdowns, and Rising Tensions | Ep 488, Nov 23, 2025 [EP488]
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 26, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenian Church, China, Economy, Iran, Middle East, Artsakh, Human Rights, Genocide, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATOGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- High-Stakes Ukraine Talks
- Armeniaâs Growing Political Detentions
- Pashinyan Honored In Kazakhstan
- Rising Pressure On The Church
- Impeachment vs. Elections
- Pashinyan Seizes Power Grid
Episode 488 | Recorded: November 24, 2025
Hayk Mamijanyan - Freedom of Expression at Risk in Armenia, Vagharshapat, RPA Strategy | Ep 487, Nov 19, 2025 [EP487]
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 19, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Political Prisoners, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Church, Geopolitics, European Union, Iran | Series: cog
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Freedom of Expression at Risk in Armenia
- Vagharshapat Municipal Outcomes
- Republican Party Election Strategy
- Stand in Support of Independent Media and Journalism in Armenia
Episode 487 | Recorded: November 18, 2025
Hayk Mamijanyan - Freedom of Expression at Risk in Armenia, Vagharshapat, RPA Strategy | Ep 487, Nov 19, 2025 [EP487]
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 19, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Political Prisoners, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Church, Geopolitics, European Union, IranGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Freedom of Expression at Risk in Armenia
- Vagharshapat Municipal Outcomes
- Republican Party Election Strategy
- Stand in Support of Independent Media and Journalism in Armenia
Episode 487 | Recorded: November 18, 2025
Sergei Melkonian - Ukraine, Iran & Israel, C5+1 in DC, Vagharshapat Municipal Outcome | Ep 486, Nov 16, 2025 [EP486]
Posted on Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Church, Syria, Ukraine, China, Middle East, NATO, Economy, European Union, Geopolitics, India | Series: wir, video
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Ukraine and Iran-Israel Conflicts
- C5+1 in Washington DC
- Vagharshapat/Etchmiadzin Municipal
Episode 486 | Recorded: November 17, 2025
Sergei Melkonian - Ukraine, Iran & Israel, C5+1 in DC, Vagharshapat Municipal Outcome | Ep 486, Nov 16, 2025 [EP486]
Posted on Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Church, Syria, Ukraine, China, Middle East, NATO, Economy, European Union, Geopolitics, IndiaGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Ukraine and Iran-Israel Conflicts
- C5+1 in Washington DC
- Vagharshapat/Etchmiadzin Municipal
Episode 486 | Recorded: November 17, 2025