Armenia’s new parliament convened today with the notable absence of Armenian Apostolic Church Catholicos Karekin II.

The church leader was absent from the opening session of Armenia's new parliament because the ruling government intentionally broke tradition and refused to extend an official invitation to him.

This is the first time a new parliament in Armenia has opened without a traditional patriarchal prayer and blessing since the country regained independence.

The snub is the climax of an intensifying feud between the government and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Pashinyan has publicly called for Karekin II to step down, and prosecutors recently pushed forward a historic criminal trial against the catholicos over institutional disputes.

Members of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party justified the exclusion by arguing that the catholicos’s attendance is a discretionary right, not a mandatory legal requirement.

The omission triggered immediate political fallout during the opening session. Outraged opposition lawmakers from the Armenia Alliance and Strong Armenia Alliance protested the exclusion, declaring it a violation of standard parliamentary regulations. In protest, opposition MPs refused to verbally recite the parliamentary oath, choosing only to sign the physical documents while remaining seated. 

According to the Law on the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, the President of the Republic and the Catholicos of All Armenians have the right to deliver a welcoming speech at the opening of the first session. 

“The Catholicos of All Armenians has been entrusted with the burden of governing the country. It is a supreme responsibility to be steadfastly guided by the Constitution and laws, to fully realize the value of public trust, and to bear full responsibility for each decision made,” Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan said in his opening speech.

MP Knyaz Hasanov, who chaired the parliament’s opening session given that by law its chaired by the oldest deputy, noted that no one could stop the catholicos if he decided to come to the National Assembly.

Arusyak Manavazyan will head the ruling Civil Contract faction. The chairman of the Strong Armenia faction is Samvel Karapetyan’s nephew, Narek Karapetyan. The Armenia faction will be headed by Anna Grigoryan.

Nikol Pashinyan published a video stating that, according to the Constitution, the current government must resign today so that a new one can be formed. President Khachaturyan signed the government's resignation.