On June 11, Bishop Arshak Khachatryan stated that Anna Hakobyan’s remarks constituted a criminal offense and urged those making such allegations to contact law enforcement, responding to the Armenian Prime Minister’s wife’s claim that “the country’s main pedophiles had a fit when they heard the word ‘closet.’”
Speaking to journalists at Zvartnots Airport, Khachatryan also addressed a question about the possibility of removing the Catholicos with the help of a crowd, saying, “Anything is possible with brute force, but we live in a civilized country, don’t we?”
On June 10, Armenia’s Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, David Khudatyan, responded to concerns about the legality of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s announcement that the process of replacing the Catholicos would begin, stating that a working group was being formed to operate solely within the framework of the Constitution and Armenian laws.
Khudatyan emphasized that the initiative was non-political and motivated by concerns as Armenian Christians, particularly regarding apparent violations of celibacy vows among clergymen. He added that the working group would likely include citizens, possibly clergy, and that its charter would not contradict the Constitution. Addressing whether he supported the developments, Khudatyan expressed dissatisfaction with the erosion of church rules and traditions in recent years.
On June 10, a delegation from the Union of Armenians of Russia, led by Ara Abrahamyan, visited the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) temple complex in Moscow and met with Bishop Ezras, expressing solidarity with the church amid what they described as unprecedented and cynical attacks by the Armenian authorities. The Union reaffirmed its conviction that the AAC and Christian faith have historically been instrumental in preserving Armenian identity through adversity.