Last week, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Karekin II, the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, of illegitimately holding office. Speaking at a press conference, Pashinyan reiterated his claim that Karekin II breached his vow of celibacy and fathered a child in violation of church rules while he was still a bishop, thereby being illegitimately elected Catholicos. “If Ktritch Nersisyan has a child,” the Prime Minister said, referring to Karekin II by his secular name, “and that child was born after he had taken a vow of celibacy, can he occupy the throne of the Catholicos of All Armenians?” “This question has been raised in both Armenia and Diaspora,” said an official of The Armenian Church Reform, a worldwide organization. “Ktritch Nersisyan is no Catholicos. The Armenian Apostolic Church has no Catholicos; there is only a person who is illegally holding that status,” Pashinyan said. He also accused Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan — Karekin II’s younger brother and primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese of Russia and New Nakhijevan — of being a Soviet-era KGB agent. According to Pashinyan, “the published facts and documents make it obvious that Ezras Nersisyan was recruited by the KGB during Soviet times.” Many observers and well-informed sources attest to the fact that Arch. Ezras is a Putin-sponsored Kremlin crony. The Russian Federation autocrat Vladimir Putin recently gifted Arch. Ezras a medal. Many Armenian Church faithful are asking: “For which services, did Russia’s Putin give that Kremlin medal to Karekin II’s blood-brother Archbishop Ezras?” Over eight years ago, another Karekin II ally Archbishop Hovnan Derderian became another recipient of a medal from Russian Pres. Putin’s main ally in Yerevan, then Pres. of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan (2008-2018). Similarly, Armenian Church faithful are asking: “For which services, Pres. Sargsyan gave a medal to Archbishop Hovnan Derderian?” An insider of Los Angeles-based Western Diocese recently told USA Armenian Life that “Arch. Derderian deserves a medal from Russian Pres. Putin for blindly defending the Kremlin’s assets in Armenia – the fake catholicos and a KGB agent-turned churchman Karekin II. It’s unfathomable that a couple weeks ago, Arch. Derderian joined two other Karekin II cronies in North America – Arch. Hovakimyan of Canada and Arch. Parsamyan of New York falsely criticized Armenia while blindly defending Karekin II and his mafia.” The embattled 132nd Catholicos Karekin II and his cabal are facing widespread public outrage in the Homeland and Diaspora decrying the ‘abhorrent level of’ corruption within the Mother Church, The Catholicosate of Holy Etchmiadzin. Sending a clear-and-loud message to Catholicos Karekin II, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended three consecutive Sunday Holy Liturgies in late Oct. and early Nov. Two were led at the Hovhannavank Monastery, Armenia by illegally-defrocked Rev. Pastor Asatryan. Many Faithful applauded Pashinyan’s attendance and participation. During the Holy Mass, Pashinyan and many church goers knelt down in prayers and accepted the Holy Communion administered by Rev. Asatryan. And the third Sunday liturgy was led by Rev. Tadeh Takhmazyan at the Holy Mother of God Armenian Apostolic Church in Talin, Armenia. While thousands of faithful attended the three consecutive Holy Masses in Armenia at various liberated Armenian Churches, only a few dozen showed up at the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. The stark contrast in church attendance illustrated a precise and clear message by the followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church to liberate the Holy See of Etchmiadzin from Russian occupation by first securing the dethronement of Karekin II and his allies in North America and elsewhere. A great number of public personalities in Armenia and Diaspora agree with PM Pahsinyan and join him in calling for the resignation of Catholicos Karekin II, accusing him of illegitimately holding office. Karekin II’s fake commentators and official mouthpieces have been accusing Karekin II’s cabal’s critics of conducting an “anti-church” campaign. The Church faithful are countering the false accusers saying “the Armenian Apostolic Church must be defended against Karekin II and other desecrators of the Armenian church.” As a devoted follower of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Prime Minister Pashinyan has recently joined thousands of other critics fighting against Karekin II and his clan that includes U.S. Western Diocese Primate Arch. Hovnan Derderian, U.S. Eastern Diocese Primate Arch. Mesrop Parsamyan, Canada Diocese Abgar Hovakimyan, Russia Diocese Primate Arch. Ezras. The primates Derderian, Parsamyan and Hovakimyan criticized Armenia for recently arresting clergy and staff who are accused of criminal activities. Primates Derderian, Parsamyan and Hovakimyan perversely claimed: “The detained clergymen are recognized for their devotion, humility, and service to the people and the Gospel. Such treatment jeopardizes the moral and spiritual foundations of our nation and undermines the sacred role of the Church in our national life.” The primates called on the Armenian authorities to “ensure the implementation of justice through full transparency and adherence to the law, while also respecting the historic sovereignty and spiritual mission of the Armenian Church.” However, primates Arch. Derderian (Western Diocese), Bishop Parsamyan (Eastern Diocese), and Bishop Hovakimyan (Canadian Diocese) fail to recognize Armenia’s Sovereignty supersedes the “sovereignty of the Armenian Church.” “So, Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Luke 20:25). Primates Derderian, Parsamyan and Hovakimyan conveniently ignore the Armenian state’s fiduciary duties towards its own citizens. Like any healthy state Armenia is obligated to protect its own citizens against criminally-inclined elements within the society including corrupted and criminally-motivated Armenian Church clergy and staff operating under Karekin II and the Russian fifth column in Armenia. On October 15, Armenia’s law enforcement authorities conducted a search at the residence of Primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan who was subsequently detained along with 12 other clergy and staff. Later, Armenia’s Investigative Committee confirmed that three individuals, including the bishop, had been arrested. Bishop Proshyan – a nephew of Karekin II and a core member of the Catholicos’s mafia “faces public criminal prosecution under two articles of Armenia’s Criminal Code for obstructing electoral rights and coercing participation in rallies using official or service authority.” In another development, Armenian law-enforcement authorities have arrested the brother and nephew of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II on suspicion of committing a crime. On November 1, the Catholicos’s brother, Gevorg Nersisyan, together with his sons, reportedly obstructed the election campaign of a local candidate in Vagharshapat, Armenia. Armenia’s Investigative Committee’s spokesperson, Kima Avdalyan, confirmed that “a public criminal prosecution was launched against the two individuals under Article 211 of the Criminal Code, which deals with forcing someone to conduct or refrain from conducting campaign activities or otherwise obstructing such activities.” On Nov. 4, Very Rev. Khoren Hovannisyan, the former staff-bearer and personal secretary of His Holiness Karekin I Sarkissian (1995-1999) and Catholicos Karekin II Nersisyan (1999-present) stated: “The traitorous and godless Nersisyan brothers (Karekin II Nersisyan and Arch. Ezras Nersisyan -Editor) are now clearly known by the general public as KGB agents. By publicly awarding the traitorous brothers another medal, (Russian Federation) the northern employers of Ktritch (Karekin II) and (Arch.) Ezras proved that they have been completely exposed and are no longer valuable agents. The leadership of Lubyanka 2 (Russian FSB headquarters) NEVER openly rewards its important agents. This was a slap in the face and the first part of punishment administered by the Kremlin against the Nersisyan brothers, who were injected into our country Armenia, as Trojan horses. But they are now exposed.” Russian Pres. Putin’s administration is accused of undermining Armenia’s Sovereignty, Independence and Defence. Karekin II and company are integrated with the “Russian stooges in Armenia – the old regime leaders such former Pres. Robert Kocharyan and former Pres. Serzh Sargsyan.” Putin’s Russian Federation has faced public condemnation of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine and ongoing efforts by the Kremlin to systematically undermine the sovereignty of several former Soviet states such as Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Central Asian states and The Baltic States among others. Apparently, the litany of nefarious activities by Karekin II, former presidents Riobert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, Russian Oligarchs Samvel Karapetyan (“Tashir Samo”), Ara Abrahamyan and their gangs will continue to seem endless as long as Moscow’s agents within the Armenian Church and the Republic of Armenia remain untouchable. How long will it take to completely eradicate the Russian-supported 5th column in Armenia? Armenians worldwide firmly believe that it’s not a question of ‘if’ but a question of ‘when.”