Catholicos

Last updated: May 29, 2026

The Catholicos of All Armenians is the supreme spiritual leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church , based at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin . The current Catholicos is Garegin II, who has held the position since 1999. A second Catholicosate, the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, is based in Antelias, Lebanon, and serves as an independent jurisdiction for portions of the Armenian diaspora.

Groong episodes touching on the Catholicos cover a broad range: the role of Garegin II in responding to the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war, his public statements during periods of political crisis in Armenia, and the deepening friction between the Catholicosate and the Pashinyan government. The government’s push to reform and reduce the institutional influence of the church has placed the Catholicos at the center of a political struggle that intensified markedly in 2025 with the arrest of multiple senior clergy.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Catholicos.

Topics:

  • Rubio’s sudden Armenia visit
  • Polls diverge before election
  • Hidden vote raises questions
  • TRIPP remains deeply polarizing
  • “Western Azerbaijan” pressure grows
  • Opposition faces arrests, threats
  • “Why are you alive?” campaign rhetoric

Episode 550 | Recorded: May 25, 2026

#ArmeniaElections #Armenia #NikolPashinyan #TRIPP #ZangezurCorridor #WesternAzerbaijan #ArmenianOpposition

Topics:

  • Rubio’s sudden Armenia visit
  • Polls diverge before election
  • Hidden vote raises questions
  • TRIPP remains deeply polarizing
  • “Western Azerbaijan” pressure grows
  • Opposition faces arrests, threats
  • “Why are you alive?” campaign rhetoric

Episode 550 | Recorded: May 25, 2026

#ArmeniaElections #Armenia #NikolPashinyan #TRIPP #ZangezurCorridor #WesternAzerbaijan #ArmenianOpposition

This Week in Review examines the tightening political climate in Armenia ahead of the June 2026 parliamentary elections. Asbed and Hovik discuss Marco Rubio’s sudden Armenia visit, new polling from IRI, MPG, and CAEAC, and what the wide gaps in voter disclosure may reveal about hidden opposition support. The episode also covers TRIPP, “Western Azerbaijan” rhetoric, public trust in the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the growing use of arrests, threats, and state pressure against opposition figures. The discussion centers on Pashinyan’s escalating campaign rhetoric, including his “Why are you alive?” outburst, and what it signals about the stakes of the coming election.

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenia’s existential election
  • Polling under fear
  • Divergent polling results
  • Church and state conflict
  • Post-election street pressure

Episode 549 | Recorded: May 22, 2026

#Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #EdgarElbakyan #StrongArmenia #ArmeniaAlliance #ArmeniaElections

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenia’s existential election
  • Polling under fear
  • Divergent polling results
  • Church and state conflict
  • Post-election street pressure

Episode 549 | Recorded: May 22, 2026

#Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #EdgarElbakyan #StrongArmenia #ArmeniaAlliance #ArmeniaElections

This Conversations on Groong episode features Edgar Elbakyan in a discussion of Armenia’s upcoming election and the wider struggle over the country’s political future. The conversation examines whether the vote should be viewed as an existential election, how fear and pressure shape public opinion, why polling results differ so sharply, and which political forces may be positioned to enter parliament. The episode also looks at whether the opposition is focused on the issues that matter most, including statehood, security, public trust, and the possibility that the election may not end at the ballot box.

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • Election campaign and opposition strategy
  • EPC, EU-Armenia summit, and foreign influence
  • Foreign policy, security, and regional risks
  • Domestic priorities and election integrity

Episode 544 | Recorded: May 9, 2026

#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #ArmeniaElections #HayastanDashinq #EPCSummit #TRIPP #Artsakh

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • Election campaign and opposition strategy
  • EPC, EU-Armenia summit, and foreign influence
  • Foreign policy, security, and regional risks
  • Domestic priorities and election integrity

Episode 544 | Recorded: May 9, 2026

#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #ArmeniaElections #HayastanDashinq #EPCSummit #TRIPP #Artsakh

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • EU role in Armenia’s elections
  • Fact-checkers and political bias
  • Dissent labeled as disinformation
  • Lawsuits, pressure, and intimidation
  • Censorship and social media control

Episode 543 | Recorded: May 7, 2026

#Armenia #ArmenianElections #EU #Disinformation #FactChecking #Censorship #CivilSociety #FreeSpeech

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • EU role in Armenia’s elections
  • Fact-checkers and political bias
  • Dissent labeled as disinformation
  • Lawsuits, pressure, and intimidation
  • Censorship and social media control

Episode 543 | Recorded: May 7, 2026

#Armenia #ArmenianElections #EU #Disinformation #FactChecking #Censorship #CivilSociety #FreeSpeech

Anna Grigoryan of Hayastan Dashinq (Armenia Alliance) joins Groong to discuss Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary election and the start of the official campaign. The conversation examines the EPC and Armenia-EU summits in Yerevan, EU political and financial support for Pashinyan, Aliyev’s remote demarche, and opposition protests around Artsakh rights, Armenian prisoners, and democratic backsliding. The episode also covers opposition coalition math, Hayastan Dashinq’s 8% bloc threshold, Strong Armenia’s lead among opposition forces, possible post-election governing formulas,  Read More

Hovhannes Ishkhanyan and Nare Navasardyan discuss the growing role of the EU, fact-checking networks, and counter-disinformation programs in Armenia’s 2026 election environment. The conversation examines claims of foreign interference, the use of “hybrid threats” and “disinformation” labels against domestic dissent, and the political bias of Armenia’s fact-checking ecosystem. The guests also share personal experiences with lawsuits, public confrontation, protest, and censorship, raising broader questions about free speech, election fairness, and the management of Armenia’s information space.

Guest:

Topics:

  • Strong Armenia and election dynamics
  • New arrests and political pressure
  • Artsakh Armenians and their rights
  • TRIPP corridor and regional security

Episode 537 | Recorded: April 27, 2026

#Armenia #Artsakh #StrongArmenia #AregaHovsepyan #ArmenianPolitics #SouthCaucasus #TRIPP #ZangezurCorridor #Geopolitics

Guest:

Topics:

  • Strong Armenia and election dynamics
  • New arrests and political pressure
  • Artsakh Armenians and their rights
  • TRIPP corridor and regional security

Episode 537 | Recorded: April 27, 2026

#Armenia #Artsakh #StrongArmenia #AregaHovsepyan #ArmenianPolitics #SouthCaucasus #TRIPP #ZangezurCorridor #Geopolitics

In this Conversations on Groong episode, we speak with Arega Hovsepyan of the Strong Armenia party about Armenia’s upcoming June 2026 parliamentary elections and the broader political climate. The discussion focuses on recent arrests targeting opposition figures, the situation of displaced Artsakh Armenians, competing narratives around “peace” with Azerbaijan, and the implications of the TRIPP or Zangezur Corridor project. We also examine opposition unity, polling trends, and legal questions surrounding Strong Armenia’s political strategy.

Topics:

  • Iran War Update
  • 2016 April War
  • Aftermath of Pashinyan in Moscow
  • Domestic Politics & Election

Episode 530 | Recorded: April 7, 2026

#Groong #Armenia

Topics:

  • Iran War Update
  • 2016 April War
  • Aftermath of Pashinyan in Moscow
  • Domestic Politics & Election

Episode 530 | Recorded: April 7, 2026

#Groong #Armenia

In this Week in Review, Hovik and Asbed discussed the escalating US-Israeli war on Iran and the danger of a wider regional catastrophe; we reflected on the tenth anniversary of the April 2016 Four-Day War and what it revealed about Armenia’s military and diplomatic posture; we examined the fallout from Pashinyan’s Moscow visit and the increasingly blunt Russian response, and reviewed the fast-moving Armenian election campaign, including pressure on the opposition, EU involvement, and the emerging strategies of major the various alliances.

Guest:

Topics:

  • The Iran War and Its Global Impacts
  • Armenia-Russia Relations
  • Parliamentary Elections in Armenia

Episode 529 | Recorded on April 3, 2026

#IranIsraelWar #IsraelIranConflict #IsraelConflict #Armenia #MiddleEastCrisis #ArmeniaElections #PietroShakarian #TRIPP

Guest:

Topics:

  • The Iran War and Its Global Impacts
  • Armenia-Russia Relations
  • Parliamentary Elections in Armenia

Episode 529 | Recorded on April 3, 2026

#IranIsraelWar #IsraelIranConflict #IsraelConflict #Armenia #MiddleEastCrisis #ArmeniaElections #PietroShakarian #TRIPP

Dr. Pietro Shakarian joined us to discuss the state of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, the shrinking chances for a diplomatic off-ramp, and how the conflict is shifting wider Eurasian politics. The conversation then turned to Armenia, including the likely freezing of TRIPP amid the Iran war, Pashinyan’s contentious visit to Moscow, and the deeper low point in Armenia-Russia relations. The final section focused on Armenia’s June parliamentary elections, public sentiment toward Pashinyan, fears over election integrity, and the evolving opposition landscape.

Topics:

  • Georgian Patriarch Ilia II passes away
  • Karekin II travel banned from funeral
  • Iran war update
  • June election in Armenia

Episode 527 | Recorded: March 23, 2026

#Groong #Armenia

Topics:

  • Georgian Patriarch Ilia II passes away
  • Karekin II travel banned from funeral
  • Iran war update
  • June election in Armenia

Episode 527 | Recorded: March 23, 2026

#Groong #Armenia

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran War Fears
  • June Parliamentary Elections
  • Attacks on the Armenian Church

Episode 519 | Recorded: February 25, 2026

#Armenia #Iran #ArmeniaElections #ArmenianChurch #SouthCaucasus

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran War Fears
  • June Parliamentary Elections
  • Attacks on the Armenian Church

Episode 519 | Recorded: February 25, 2026

#Armenia #Iran #ArmeniaElections #ArmenianChurch #SouthCaucasus

Guest:

Topics:

  • Vardanank Wars and Battle of Avarayr
  • Armenian Sources, Yeghishe and Parpetsi
  • Politics, Christianity, Nakharar Power Dynamics

Episode 518 | Recorded: February 22, 2026

#GroongDeepHistory #Vardanank #BattleOfAvarayr #ArmenianHistory #ZarouiPogossian

Guest:

Topics:

  • Vardanank Wars and Battle of Avarayr
  • Armenian Sources, Yeghishe and Parpetsi
  • Politics, Christianity, Nakharar Power Dynamics

Episode 518 | Recorded: February 22, 2026

#GroongDeepHistory #Vardanank #BattleOfAvarayr #ArmenianHistory #ZarouiPogossian

Topics:

  • Vance visit, protocol and optics
  • Tsitsernakaberd tweet, “autocorrect diplomacy”
  • TRIPP corridor stake and sovereignty risks
  • Nuclear SMR deal, costs and dependency
  • Firebird AI project, power and value
  • Drones, church silence, Baku charter and prisoners

Episode 517 | Recorded: February 13, 2026

#Groong #Armenia #JDVance #Tsitsernakaberd #TRIPP

Topics:

  • Vance visit, protocol and optics
  • Tsitsernakaberd tweet, “autocorrect diplomacy”
  • TRIPP corridor stake and sovereignty risks
  • Nuclear SMR deal, costs and dependency
  • Firebird AI project, power and value
  • Drones, church silence, Baku charter and prisoners

Episode 517 | Recorded: February 13, 2026

#Groong #Armenia #JDVance #Tsitsernakaberd #TRIPP

Guest:

Topics:

  • CSI Visits Jailed Cleric
  • IRF Summit
  • PACE MP Speaks Up

Episode 513 | Recorded: February 3, 2026

#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #IRFSummit2026 #ChristianSolidarityInternational

Guest:

Topics:

  • CSI Visits Jailed Cleric
  • IRF Summit
  • PACE MP Speaks Up

Episode 513 | Recorded: February 3, 2026

#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #IRFSummit2026 #ChristianSolidarityInternational

Topics:

  • Iran Conflict
  • Varchaband
  • War on Armenian Church
  • Mehmet Oz vs Armenian Americans
  • Narek Karapetyan and Strong Armenia
  • A Big Beautiful Noragyugh

Episode 512 | Recorded: February 2, 2026

#IranIsraelWar #TrumpArmada #ArmenianChurch #Pashinyan #ArmenianDiaspora

Topics:

  • Iran Conflict
  • Varchaband
  • War on Armenian Church
  • Mehmet Oz vs Armenian Americans
  • Narek Karapetyan and Strong Armenia
  • A Big Beautiful Noragyugh

Episode 512 | Recorded: February 2, 2026

#IranIsraelWar #TrumpArmada #ArmenianChurch #Pashinyan #ArmenianDiaspora

Guest:

Topics:

  • Memorial Day vs. Army Day
  • JD Vance to Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Armenian Church Developments
  • Strong Armenia - New Political Party

Episode 510 | Recorded: Jnauary 27, 2026

Guest:

Topics:

  • Memorial Day vs. Army Day
  • JD Vance to Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Armenian Church Developments
  • Strong Armenia - New Political Party

Episode 510 | Recorded: Jnauary 27, 2026

Guest:

Topics:

  • Return of Four Hostages
  • Pashinyan vs. Church
  • TRIPP
  • Armenia Parliamentary Election

Episode 507 | Recorded: January 16, 2026

#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #TRIPP #ArmenianChurch #POWs

Guest:

Topics:

  • Return of Four Hostages
  • Pashinyan vs. Church
  • TRIPP
  • Armenia Parliamentary Election

Episode 507 | Recorded: January 16, 2026

#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #TRIPP #ArmenianChurch #POWs

Guest:

Topics:

  • Ukraine war’s global cost to Russia
  • Iran unrest and war risk
  • Remembering the Baku pogroms
  • Russia-Armenia tensions and media threats
  • Pashinyan’s clash with Armenian Church

Episode 505 | Recorded: January 13, 2026

Guest:

Topics:

  • Ukraine war’s global cost to Russia
  • Iran unrest and war risk
  • Remembering the Baku pogroms
  • Russia-Armenia tensions and media threats
  • Pashinyan’s clash with Armenian Church

Episode 505 | Recorded: January 13, 2026

Guest:

Topics:

  • The Legal Architecture: Autonomy, Exclusive Mission, and State Neutrality
  • Engineering Parallel, Schismatic Structures
  • Criminal Law as Leverage
  • Bern in Action and Reaction
  • The Deeper Stakes: National Identity

Episode 504 | Recorded: January 12, 2026

#Armenia #ArmenianChurch #Etchmiadzin #HumanRights #ReligiousFreedom

Guest:

Topics:

  • The Legal Architecture: Autonomy, Exclusive Mission, and State Neutrality
  • Engineering Parallel, Schismatic Structures
  • Criminal Law as Leverage
  • Bern in Action and Reaction
  • The Deeper Stakes: National Identity

Episode 504 | Recorded: January 12, 2026

#Armenia #ArmenianChurch #Etchmiadzin #HumanRights #ReligiousFreedom

Guest:

Topics:

  • Pashinyan Attacks: Geopolitics or Vendetta?
  • Renegade Bishops: Demands and Narratives
  • Stolen Church Property
  • From Christmas to Easter

Episode 503 | Recorded: January 9, 2026

#ArmenianApostolicChurch #ArmenianChurch #Garegin #Catholicos #NikolPashinyan #ArmenianDiaspora

Guest:

Topics:

  • Pashinyan Attacks: Geopolitics or Vendetta?
  • Renegade Bishops: Demands and Narratives
  • Stolen Church Property
  • From Christmas to Easter

Episode 503 | Recorded: January 9, 2026

#ArmenianApostolicChurch #ArmenianChurch #Garegin #Catholicos #NikolPashinyan #ArmenianDiaspora

Guest:

Topics:

  • Developments in Venezuela
  • Attacks on Armenian Church Continue
  • New MPG Poll Results

Episode 501 | Recorded: January 6, 2026

#VenezuelaCrisis #ArmenianChurch #MPGPoll #ArmeniaEconomy #Geopolitics

Guest:

Topics:

  • Developments in Venezuela
  • Attacks on Armenian Church Continue
  • New MPG Poll Results

Episode 501 | Recorded: January 6, 2026

#VenezuelaCrisis #ArmenianChurch #MPGPoll #ArmeniaEconomy #Geopolitics

Guest:

Topics:

  • Ukraine War and EU Rift
  • Siege on Etchmiadzin and the Church
  • Peace Dividend or Political Theater
  • TRIPP and Competing Power Claims

Episode 498 | Recorded: December 23, 2025

#ArmenianChurch #Etchmiadzin #TRIPP #ArmeniaPolitics #Groong

Guest:

Topics:

  • Ukraine War and EU Rift
  • Siege on Etchmiadzin and the Church
  • Peace Dividend or Political Theater
  • TRIPP and Competing Power Claims

Episode 498 | Recorded: December 23, 2025

#ArmenianChurch #Etchmiadzin #TRIPP #ArmeniaPolitics #Groong

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenia between EU and Russia
  • Church–state confrontation in Armenia
  • Artsakh concessions and return debate
  • Economy, debt, and governance
  • NSS raids Artsakh offices

Episode 496 | Recorded: December 15, 2025

#ArmeniaPolitics #EUvsRussia #ArmenianChurch #Artsakh #Geopolitics

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenia between EU and Russia
  • Church–state confrontation in Armenia
  • Artsakh concessions and return debate
  • Economy, debt, and governance
  • NSS raids Artsakh offices

Episode 496 | Recorded: December 15, 2025

#ArmeniaPolitics #EUvsRussia #ArmenianChurch #Artsakh #Geopolitics

Guest:

Topics:

  • 1988 Earthquake Remembered
  • Pashinyan’s War on the Armenian Church
  • EU-Armenia Relations
  • Nagorno-Karabakh Negotiation Documents
  • ARAR Foundation Poll

Episode 494 | Recorded: December 8, 2025

#ArmenianChurch #NSS #Pashinyan #ArarPoll #ArmeniaEU

Guest:

Topics:

  • 1988 Earthquake Remembered
  • Pashinyan’s War on the Armenian Church
  • EU-Armenia Relations
  • Nagorno-Karabakh Negotiation Documents
  • ARAR Foundation Poll

Episode 494 | Recorded: December 8, 2025

#ArmenianChurch #NSS #Pashinyan #ArarPoll #ArmeniaEU

Guest:

Topics:

  • OSCE MG Dissolved
  • Libaridian on Submitting to Turkey and Azerbaijan
  • News Constitution to be Drafted by March 2026
  • Archbishops, Letters, Attacks on the Church
  • Border Commissions Meet in Baku
  • Comments from Jacob Pursley

Episode 493 | Recorded: December 2, 2025

Guest:

Topics:

  • OSCE MG Dissolved
  • Libaridian on Submitting to Turkey and Azerbaijan
  • News Constitution to be Drafted by March 2026
  • Archbishops, Letters, Attacks on the Church
  • Border Commissions Meet in Baku
  • Comments from Jacob Pursley

Episode 493 | Recorded: December 2, 2025

Guest:

Topics:

  • Clergy Arrests in Armenia
  • Church Under Pressure
  • Prayer Breakfast Controversy
  • Western Silence on Repression
  • CSI’s Findings in Yerevan

Episode 490 | Recorded: November 25, 2025

#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #ChristianSolidarityInternational #HumanRightsInArmenia

Guest:

Topics:

  • Clergy Arrests in Armenia
  • Church Under Pressure
  • Prayer Breakfast Controversy
  • Western Silence on Repression
  • CSI’s Findings in Yerevan

Episode 490 | Recorded: November 25, 2025

#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #ChristianSolidarityInternational #HumanRightsInArmenia

Guest:

Topics:

  • Azerbaijan’s war crimes and impunity
  • Sham trials of Artsakh leaders
  • Silence of the OSCE and the West
  • Armenia’s growing political repression
  • Attacks on the Armenian Church

Episode 489 | Recorded: November 23, 2025

Guest:

Topics:

  • Azerbaijan’s war crimes and impunity
  • Sham trials of Artsakh leaders
  • Silence of the OSCE and the West
  • Armenia’s growing political repression
  • Attacks on the Armenian Church

Episode 489 | Recorded: November 23, 2025

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

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

Guest:

Topics:

  • Ukraine war status and U.S.–Russia dynamics
  • Church–state tensions and religious prosecutions
  • Opposition arrests, trials, and civil liberties
  • Border demarcation, enclaves

Episode 483 | Recorded: November 3, 2025