Amid mounting public dissatisfaction, Armenia is witnessing an escalation in its internal political tensions. While not always overt, certain opposition factions have intensified their criticism of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan by aligning themselves, symbolically or otherwise, with the Armenian Apostolic Church and its clergy, whose social and moral authority continues to hold sway in segments of society.

The friction between the government and religious establishment came into sharper focus recently when Prime Minister Pashinyan publicly criticized Church leaders for allegedly neglecting their duties and allowing ecclesiastical institutions to fall into disrepair. The post, which reportedly included thinly veiled insults directed at Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, sparked widespread backlash and further polarized the already fraught........

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