Armenian Archbishop Sees Imprisonment as 'Providential' Amid Government Crackdown on Apostolic Church

Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan of the Armenian Apostolic Church considers his imprisonment a 'great privilege,' according to an advocate, as the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan escalates its crackdown on church leaders. The prosecution of Galstanyan represents the most serious confrontation between the Armenian state and its historic national church in the post-Soviet era, with the government targeting church leaders who have become voices of political opposition. The Armenian Apostolic Church — one of the oldest Christian institutions in the world, tracing its origins to the apostles Bartholomew and Thaddaeus — has been a pillar of Armenian national identity for over 1,700 years. The archbishop's willingness to view his suffering as providential rather than punitive places him in the long tradition of persecuted church leaders who have chosen faithfulness over freedom.