The early-morning gathering at Yerevan’s Marriott Hotel included shared breakfast and prayers. Hotel officials declined to reveal the menu, though typical prayer breakfasts often feature cream cheese, oatmeal flakes, orange juice, and coffee.
Organizers said the significance of the gathering went beyond the meal itself. On the day before the breakfast, attendees convened at the National Gallery for a forum that was closed to media.
Rubina Hovhannisian, one of the participants, said the idea to organize a prayer breakfast arose after members of the Armenian government visited Washington, which has a long-standing tradition of holding such events. She said discussions covered “a range of topics, both political and family-related, including issues such as abortion, why it is dangerous for Armenia, and peace initiatives like the ‘Trump Route.’”
According to the Prayer Breakfast’s official website, the two-day event in Armenia is “initiated and organized by Armenian civil society, with the support and participation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.” Reports suggest organizers included a newly formed spiritual club of laymen led by Stepan Sargsian, coordinator of the prime minister’s “Learning is Fashionable” program. Organizers said the goal of the event is “to renew Armenia’s spiritual foundations and affirm its traditional Christian values.”
Representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church emphasized that the Church had no connection to the organization of the prayer breakfast. Father Yesayi Artenian, director of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin’s Information System, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the Church was invited and that Bishop Daniel attended briefly. “He participated only in one panel discussion. The participation of our Mother See was limited to that,” he said, stressing that the event does not align with traditional Armenian Church practices.
The prayer breakfast took place amid growing tensions between the Armenian government and the Armenian Apostolic Church, following Pashinian’s call for Catholicos Garegin II to resign. Pashinian, who insists he is acting as a faithful Christian rather than in his capacity as head of government, has alleged that Garegin II, whom he refers to by his lay name, Ktrich Nersisian, broke his vow of celibacy by fathering a child and therefore has no right to lead the Church.
The standoff between the State and the Church has included arrests and prosecutions of several senior clerics, including two archbishops and one bishop.
In his speech at the Friday event, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturian did not mention the crisis in the State-Church relations. He, however, highlighted the value of dialogue, saying that such platforms “remind us that different opinions and beliefs can unite around a common goal for solidarity and a peaceful future.”
While some prayer breakfast attendees sought to distance themselves from political matters, others told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that they did raise issues related to the current developments around the Armenian Apostolic Church. Joel Veldkamp, of Christian Solidarity International, highlighted what he described as political persecution in Armenia, citing the imprisonment of four clergymen and over 20 of their supporters. He urged attendees to raise these concerns and criticized what he called government repression.
Prime Minister Pashinian was scheduled to address prayer breakfast participants on Friday evening. Planned activities for Saturday include visits to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, local churches, and museums, with around 20 guests expressing interest in meeting with Catholicos Garegin II. Church officials have confirmed the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church will receive the guests.