Garegin II
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Garegin II has served as Catholicos of All Armenians — the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church — since 1999. His tenure has coincided with some of the most turbulent periods in modern Armenian history, including the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war, the political upheaval that followed, and an escalating confrontation with the Pashinyan government over the church’s role in Armenian society.
Groong episodes featuring Garegin II examine his public statements during national crises, his relationship with the diaspora, and the government’s effort to reduce the church’s institutional influence. The arrest of senior clergy allied with and answerable to the Catholicosate in 2025 — including Archbishops Bagrat Galstanyan, Mikayel Ajapahyan, and Arshak Khachatryan, and Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan — has placed Garegin II at the center of the most serious church-state confrontation in the post-Soviet history of independent Armenia.
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 | 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 GenocideGroong 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 | 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, RussiaGroong 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 | 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 GenocideGroong 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
Robert Amsterdam - In Our Own Way: The Samvel Karapetyan Case | Ep 468, Sep 4, 2025 [EP468]
Posted on Thursday, Sep 4, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Armenian Church, Russia, Ukraine, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights | Series: cog, video
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Arrest of Samvel Karapetyan
- Pre-trial detention practices
- Lawfare and double standards
- Armeniaâs global consequences
Episode 468 | Recorded: September 4, 2025
Robert Amsterdam - In Our Own Way: The Samvel Karapetyan Case | Ep 468, Sep 4, 2025 [EP468]
Posted on Thursday, Sep 4, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Armenian Church, Russia, Ukraine, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Human RightsGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Arrest of Samvel Karapetyan
- Pre-trial detention practices
- Lawfare and double standards
- Armeniaâs global consequences
Episode 468 | Recorded: September 4, 2025
Armen Ashotyan - Reflections on Life as a Political Prisoner, Attacks on the Church and Sovereignty | Ep 465, Aug 28, 2025 [EP465]
Posted on Thursday, Aug 28, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, Armenian Church, Lebanon, Syria, Iran | Series: cog
Groong Links:
Guest:
- Armen Ashotyan, MP, VP Republican Party of Armenia (HHK)
Topics:
- Imprisonment and Political Persecution
- International and Diaspora Response
- Pashinyan Regime Attack on the Church
- The Managed Capitulation Process
Episode 465 | Recorded on August 27, 2025