I have attached my AI aided translation of His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian’s reflection on the current church and state turmoil that December 13, 2025. The original was posted in Keghartcom and is linked below. Vaհe H Apelian
The Armenian people are living through a historic turning point. For the first time in centuries, we have a stable and independent Republic of Armenia. At the same time, about three-quarters of the Armenian Apostolic faithful, are scattered across the vast and diverse continents of the Diaspora, and are outside the borders of Armenia.
This new reality poses urgent and often confusing questions for each of us: what is the proper role of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and what is the proper role of the state?
Armenian identity and Christian faith are historically intertwined. Medieval Armenian authors often spoke of God and homeland, in the same breath. This bond helped the Armenian people to endure foreign domination, genocide, and disintegration.
However, what helped us survive in the conditions of statelessness can create confusion in the conditions existing in the modern republic.
Today, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is located on the territory of the sovereign Armenian state.
Today, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is located on the territory of the sovereign Armenian state. The Catholicos of All Armenians resides in Armenia. However, the majority of Armenians who perceive Etchmiadzin as their spiritual home live abroad. Is the Church in reality, the religious wing of the Republic of Armenia or is it a global spiritual body, serving all Armenians with a mission that cannot be limited to any one state?
In the Catholic world, the Holy See (Vatican) and the Italian State have clearly defined their relationship over time (Lateran Treaty, February 11, 1929). One is a spiritual center with a global reach, the other is a nation-state with political responsibility. Armenia faces the need for a similar clarification, adapted to our own history and circumstances.
However, it is not a political party and should not be one.
Such a clarification begins with several fundamental principles:
First, the Armenian Apostolic Church has a spiritual and moral mission, not a political one. Its main functions are the preaching of the Gospel, the celebration of the sacraments, the formation of conscience, the consolation of the suffering, and the preservation of Armenian Christian culture and memory. The Church has the right, and sometimes the duty, to speak out on moral issues affecting society: justice, corruption, dignity, war and peace, and the protection of the vulnerable. However, it is not a political party and should not be one.
Second, the Republic of Armenia is a secular state.
This does not mean an anti-religious state.
Second, the Republic of Armenia is a secular state. This does not mean an anti-religious state. It means a government that serves all citizens, believers and non-believers, followers of the Apostolic and other faiths, without imposing or enforcing any theology. The state is obliged to guarantee freedom of conscience, equality before the law, and the protection of human rights.
At the same time, mature secularism can recognize the special historical role of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the life of the nation and cooperate with it within clear legal boundaries in the spheres of education, social services, and cultural preservation.
Why are tensions so high in this case?
Both positions misunderstand the difference between party politics and moral witness.
One of the reasons is the formed expectations, born of another era. For centuries, when Armenia did not have a state, the Church was often the main structure of organized Armenian life: mediator, educator, advocate, diplomat. Some still expect it to continue that political role. Others, in response, demand that the Church remain completely silent on all public issues. Both positions misunderstand the difference between party politics and moral witness.
Another reason is politicization itself.
Today, political actors sometimes try to use the symbols and language of the Church to advance their own agendas, or conversely, attack the Church to weaken their rivals. This damages both the spiritual credibility of the Church and the quality of democratic debate.
Finally, there are differences in perceptions between Armenia and the Diaspora. For many Diaspora-Armenians, the Church is their primary national institution. For many inside Armenia, it is just one institution, operating in a fragile and contested political environment. Without careful listening, these different experiences breed mutual frustration.
How to move from confusion to clarification?
There is one way: to follow, in our own way, the experience that other states and churches have gone through: to publicly define Church-State relations.
This could mean:
Reaffirming the Church’s independence in spiritual and internal matters, affirming the secular nature of the Republic and its neutrality with regard to beliefs, recognizing by law the unique historical and cultural role of the Armenian Apostolic Church, establishing rules to prevent the use of church structures for partisan purposes, creating regular and transparent channels of dialogue between the state and the church leadership.
None of these alone will resolve all contradictions. Disagreements continue, and must continue, in a free society. But it weakens the temptation to turn every dispute into an ontological struggle between “old Armenia” and “new Armenia” or “religion” and “progress.”
In a time of serious national challenges: security threats, social difficulties, mass emigration, and unresolved /spiritual/shocks, Armenia needs both a solid state and a credible church. The state should focus on justice, security, and the material well-being of its citizens. The church should focus on faith, moral formation, hope, and identity. They serve the same people, but in different ways.
Armenian Christianity has always uniquely combined patriotism and piety. That heritage should not become a weapon of power struggle. It should be a source of wisdom as we, perhaps for the first time, learn to live as citizens of a modern republic and as heirs of an ancient Christian people.
Clarifying the respective roles of Church and State in Armenia does not diminish anyone
Clarifying the respective roles of Church and State in Armenia does not diminish anyone. If properly implemented, it allows both to serve more honorably and effectively, preventing the abuse of both political power and spiritual authority. In this way, the Armenian people in the homeland and throughout the Diaspora can face the future with a clearer mind and a more steadfast heart. This important mission can be accomplished through a strong partnership between the leaders of Church and State, based on a moral vision that protects the well-being of our people both in the homeland and in the Diaspora.
Link: Հայաստանի եկեղեցի-պետութիւն յարաբերութիւնները պարզաբանում, եւ ոչ թէ հակամարտութիւն կը պահանջեն: https://keghart.org/archb-barsamian-church-state-relations/
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