International human rights advocates urged the Trump administration to warn the Armenian government regarding increased suppression of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Ambassador Alberto Fernandez stated that the government's campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church has been ongoing for over a year without abatement. The crackdown includes the indictment of Catholicos Garegin II and the jailing and travel restrictions imposed on several bishops. Fernandez highlighted the prevention of the Catholicos from traveling to Austria for a global church leaders' meeting as a significant concern. Fernandez asserted that Prime Minister Pashinyan's government cannot claim to be pro-American and part of the liberal West while imitating the religious standards of authoritarian regimes.
9 days ago
International human rights advocates held a briefing on February 26, 2026, organized by the National Defense Alliance.1 2
They urged the Trump administration to address Armenia's government suppression of the Armenian Apostolic Church.1 2
The event followed Vice President JD Vance's historic visit to Armenia.1 2
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's campaign against the Church has lasted over a year.1 2
Actions include indicting Catholicos Garegin II, jailing bishops, and restricting clergy travel.1 2
The Holy See of Etchmiadzin postponed a December 2025 meeting due to clergy repressions, later moving it abroad.1 2
Catholicos Garegin II was barred from attending the relocated conference in Austria.1 2
Ambassador Alberto Fernandez called the suppression a sign of authoritarianism, likening it to regimes in Turkey and Syria.1 2
He warned it endangers the regime and links Church persecution to broader curbs on freedoms like speech.1 2
John Eibner of Christian Solidarity International urged the US to defend the Church for Armenia's survival as the world's first Christian nation.1 2
Armenia remains vulnerable despite a Trump-brokered peace deal with Azerbaijan and Turkey, which is not finalized.1 2
Pashinyan positions himself as the peace candidate ahead of elections, backed by perceived US endorsement via Vance.1 2
EU funds support his reelection under anti-Russian disinformation pretexts; Turkey and Azerbaijan view him favorably.1 2
Opposition members are jailed, heightening political tensions.1 2
Advocates question guarantees for any peace agreement's enforcement.1 2
Suppressing the Church contradicts Armenia's pro-Western aspirations.1 2
Defending religious freedom could bolster other civil liberties and regional stability.1 2
Church-state relations: Catholic Church’s role in safeguarding religious liberty
The Catholic Church affirms religious liberty as a fundamental civil right rooted in human dignity, entailing immunity from coercion by political authorities in religious matters, while rejecting any moral license to error. In church-state relations, the Church's role is prophetic: to defend this liberty against threats from both authoritarianism and secular liberalism, educate the faithful, and promote it as foundational to all freedoms, ensuring the state acknowledges the primacy of conscience oriented toward truth.
Church-state relations on religious liberty have evolved, reflecting contextual applications of perennial principles. Early imperial edicts, such as Constantine's, granted liberty to Christians and extended it to others for public tranquility, prohibiting discrimination by rank or religion. The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia distinguishes state tolerance—granted via constitutions or tradition—from full religious liberty, noting the state's broader attitude permits outward profession of faith without interference, though revocable under circumstances.
Pre-Vatican II teachings condemned "liberal" notions of indifferentism (choosing any religion), but Dignitatis Humanae (DH) articulated immunity from coercion as a civil right, provided public order is observed. Critics like Seewald see this as camouflaged innovation, yet defenders (e.g., Ian Ker, Avery Dulles) argue continuity: both condemn error while prioritizing conscience's duty to truth, adapting to pluralistic contexts where public order lacks a shared Christian vision. The Catechism codifies this: "The right to religious liberty is neither a moral license to adhere to error, nor a supposed right to error, but rather a natural right of the human person to civil liberty, i.e., immunity, within just limits, from external constraint in religious matters by political authorities."
This natural right ought to be acknowledged in the juridical order of society in such a way that it constitutes a civil right.
John Paul II echoed this heritage, urging bishops to safeguard liberty won "at a great price," especially amid secular pressures.
The Church actively safeguards religious liberty through teaching, advocacy, and witness. It declares it the "first liberty," hierarchically prior, as the USCCB states, distinguishing constitutional enshrinement from its moral primacy. Popes emphasize its role in peace: John Paul II taught it "supports and guarantees all other freedoms," immune from coercion privately or publicly, within due limits—a duty for religious leaders to uphold in pluralistic societies like India.
In the context of religious pluralism, the spirit of tolerance... is not only desirable but imperative... Everyone is called upon to uphold this religious liberty and to work for peace and harmony among people of different religious traditions.
Theologically, the Church critiques states lacking a "theo-normative" teleology, where liberalism balances religious claims against others (e.g., Obergefell v. Hodges), diluting it. Integralist views assert the Church's "indirect power" over baptized rulers for coercion in faith matters (Suarezian thesis), conceding DH compatibility yet debated by Ratzinger, Dulles, and Newman. The Church counters by alerting the faithful to secular "pleasures and allurements" eroding inner freedom.
Liberal cultures protect "religious liberty" on liberal terms— privatized faith yielding to autonomy—risking its erosion. Pecknold notes declining Catholic confidence: once "most independent citizens," now facing martyrdom-like threats, as Cardinal George warned. Doctrinaire liberalism performs "Rawlsian balancing," equating rights, compelling states to temper religious claims.
Yet the Church insists liberty thrives when conscience seeks truth, not error. In Byzantine-Ruthenian contexts, it combats secularism while valuing liberty's cost.
| Challenge | Church Response | Key Example |
|---|---|---|
| Authoritarian coercion | Affirm immunity from constraint | Constantine's edict |
| Liberal balancing acts | Prioritize as "first liberty" | USCCB document |
| Secular pressures | Prophetic alerts | JPII to bishops |
| Integralist tensions | Nuance indirect power | Debates with Dulles et al. |
In church-state relations, the Catholic Church safeguards religious liberty as a civil right essential to dignity and peace, rooted in DH and the Catechism, while navigating historical shifts and modern threats. It prophetically defends against coercion and indifferentism, prioritizing conscience's truth-seeking amid pluralism. Faithful adherence ensures liberty serves the common good.