Armenian Apostolic Church is Armenia’s autocephalous national church, rooted in early Christianity and part of Oriental Orthodoxy. Its current leadership faces a courtroom clash over alleged spying for Russia as clerics risk jail time.
Armenia’s Catholicos Karekin II and six senior clergy are facing up to two years in prison after refusing to reinstate a defrocked bishop, in a confrontation seen as part of broader tensions between the church and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The trial began amid protests and international attention.