Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and six senior clerics will appear in court on 7 August for the first hearing in a criminal case. The trial comes amid deepening tensions between the Church and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government.
The preliminary hearing will take place at the Armavir Regional Court in Vagharshapat, according to defence lawyer Ara Zohrabyan.
The case also involves archbishops Natan Hovhannisyan and Haykazun Najarian, and bishops Mushegh Babayan, Hovnan Hakobyan, Makar Hakobyan and Vahan Hovhannisyan.
Prosecutors accuse the clerics of failing to comply with a court order temporarily reinstating former Masyatsotn Diocese head Gevorg Saroyan, who was removed from office and defrocked by the Church over what it described as a breach of his vow of obedience.
If convicted, the defendants face up to two years in prison.
Zohrabyan said the prosecution stems from decisions taken by the Catholicos in the exercise of the Church's internal authority and argued that the case constitutes unconstitutional state interference in the affairs of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The trial comes amid a broader confrontation between the government and the Church.
Pashinyan has repeatedly called for Karekin II's resignation and accused the Church of serving foreign interests - allegations the Church denies.
Relations between the two sides have deteriorated since the 2020 conflict with Azerbaijan and subsequent peace negotiations, with senior clergy emerging as vocal critics of the prime minister.
Opposition politicians and rights advocates have described the case as politically motivated, while Armenian authorities have rejected such claims.
Speaking to AnewZ, George Mchedlishvili, Associate Professor at European University, said the case reflects broader political and geopolitical tensions rather than a purely legal dispute.
He argued that the Armenian Apostolic Church has become one of the strongest domestic opponents of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's efforts to normalise relations with Azerbaijan and Türkiye.
According to Mchedlishvili, Pashinyan is seeking to reduce Armenia's dependence on Russia by improving ties with neighbouring countries, while forces aligned with the Church are attempting to slow or block that shift.
He said the dispute should therefore be viewed in the broader context of Armenia's competing foreign policy orientations rather than solely as a disagreement between the government and the Church.
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