Thousands of people were on hand today at the Hovhannavank Monastery in the village of Ohanavan when Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan arrived to attend a divine liturgy officiated by defrocked Father Aram Asatryan.

Police were on hand at this latest manifestation of the growing rift between the Armenian government and the Armenian Apostolic Church to maintain a semblance of public order.

The police prevented reporters from entering the monastery.

Father Asatryan (lay name Stepan) fell afoul of the church following public claims in September alleging that he and other clergy had been coerced by church officials to attend anti-government rallies in 2021.

Law enforcement then arrested the Primate of the Aragatzotn Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, and several priests in the diocese on the charge.

The church, in a statement on Friday, claimed that Asatryan had repeatedly refused to appear before a disciplinary commission and would henceforth be considered a layperson. under the name Stepan Asatryan.

The defrocked cleric has rejected the church’s decision.

The church has described Asatryan’s refusal to hand over the keys to the monastery and his officiating at today’s liturgy as “a gross canonical violation and a criminally punishable act.”

See: Police Arrest Bishop, Six Priests in Armenia; Lawyers Cry Foul; Yerevan Court Issues Two-Month Detention for Bishop Proshyan