Catholicos Karekin II and six other senior clergymen are accused of defying a court order to reinstate a defrocked bishop. The case is widely seen as a part of long-simmering tensions between Pashinyan, who was reelected earlier this year, and the church, which has called for his ouster. Hundreds of Karekin’s supporters gathered outside the courthouse in Vagharshapat, which is located about 18 kilometers (11 miles) west of Armenia’s capital, Yerevan. Samvel Karapetyan, head of the pro-Russian opposition party Strong Armenia, called the case against Karekin a “national disgrace.” Clerics denounce the case as an assault on church autonomyDuring an evening service at the Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Karekin denounced the case against him.