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.
Dziunik Aghajanian - EU Ukraine Rift, Church Siege, and TRIPP Power Games | Ep 498, Dec 21, 2025 [EP498]
Posted on Thursday, Dec 25, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Armenian Church, Ukraine, Iran, Economy, Georgia, European Union, China, Middle East, NATO | Series: wir, video
Groong Links:
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
Dziunik Aghajanian - EU Ukraine Rift, Church Siege, and TRIPP Power Games | Ep 498, Dec 21, 2025 [EP498]
Posted on Thursday, Dec 25, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Armenian Church, Ukraine, Iran, Economy, Georgia, European Union, China, Middle East, NATOGroong Links:
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
Arthur Khachatryan - Foreign Pressure, Attack on Church, Artsakh Repression | Ep 496, Dec 14, 2025 [EP496]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia, Armenian Church, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, European Union, Genocide, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Economy, India, NATO | Series: wir, video
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Armenia between EU and Russia
- Churchâstate 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
Arthur Khachatryan - Foreign Pressure, Attack on Church, Artsakh Repression | Ep 496, Dec 14, 2025 [EP496]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia, Armenian Church, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, European Union, Genocide, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Economy, India, NATOGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Armenia between EU and Russia
- Churchâstate 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
Benyamin Poghosyan - Pashinyan War on Armenian Church, EU-Armenia, Artsakh, Arar Poll | Ep 494, Sep 25, 2025 [EP494]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Poll, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenian Church, Russia, European Union, Turkey, Ukraine, Iran, India | Series: video, wir
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- 1988 Earthquake Remembered
- Pashinyanâs 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
Benyamin Poghosyan - Pashinyan War on Armenian Church, EU-Armenia, Artsakh, Arar Poll | Ep 494, Sep 25, 2025 [EP494]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Poll, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenian Church, Russia, European Union, Turkey, Ukraine, Iran, IndiaGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- 1988 Earthquake Remembered
- Pashinyanâs 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
Arthur Khachikyan - OSCE MG Dissolved, Libaridian on Submission, New Constitution, Armenian Church, Prayer Breakfast, Border Commissions meet in Baku | Ep 493, Nov 30, 2025 [EP493]
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Armenian Genocide, Armenian Church, Turkey, Russia, Genocide, Iran, Israel, Middle East, China, NATO | Series: wir, video
Groong Links:
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
Arthur Khachikyan - OSCE MG Dissolved, Libaridian on Submission, New Constitution, Armenian Church, Prayer Breakfast, Border Commissions meet in Baku | Ep 493, Nov 30, 2025 [EP493]
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Armenian Genocide, Armenian Church, Turkey, Russia, Genocide, Iran, Israel, Middle East, China, NATOGroong Links:
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
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 | Series: cog, video
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