The bishop, Gevorg Saroyan, was dismissed earlier in January as head of a church diocese. Their lawyers maintain that Armenian courts have no jurisdiction over internal church affairs. and signing a church hymn in his honor included opposition lawmakers who walked out of the Armenian parliament to show support for the Catholicos. Following the hearing, Garegin led the angry supporters to the nearby Echmiadzin cathedral of the Armenian Church where he led a prayer service on the occasion. Garegin is the first supreme head of the church prosecuted in Armenia’s post-Soviet history.