YEREVAN — Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has sent to court a criminal case involving Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and several senior clergymen. The legal dispute arose following the dismissal of Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, whose secular name is Arman Saroyan, as head of the Masyatsotn Diocese. After being removed from office by a decision of the Catholicos in January 2026, Saroyan appealed to the courts. Despite the court’s decision and an official notice from the Compulsory Enforcement Service, Karekin II and the Supreme Spiritual Council decided to defrock Saroyan. The defendants in the case are Catholicos Karekin II, Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Archbishop Haykazun Najaryan, Bishop Vahan Hovhannisyan, Bishop Edgar Hakobyan and Bishop Arthur Hakobyan.