Armenian Parliament Establishes Investigative Commission to Examine Situation Surrounding Armenian Apostolic Church

YEREVAN — Armenia’s National Assembly has established an investigative commission to examine what a parliamentary statement described as a crisis within the Armenian Apostolic Church and its implications for the Church’s role in Armenian spiritual and national life.

National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan announced the establishment of the commission on October 2.

According to the parliamentary statement, the commission was established at the request of at least one-quarter of lawmakers, pursuant to Article 20 of the Constitutional Law on the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly.

The stated purpose of the commission is to examine what the initiating lawmakers characterize as a crisis resulting from the activities of several clergy members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, as well as related concerns about the Church’s role in the spiritual life of the Armenian people, the development of national culture and the preservation of national identity.

Under the National Assembly’s rules of procedure, a draft decision determining the number of members serving on the investigative commission is expected to be considered at an upcoming parliamentary session.