The Armenian government’s confrontation with the Armenian Apostolic Church has reached an unprecedented point, with Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II appearing in court on criminal charges last week while the newly elected parliament opened without the Catholicos for the first time since Armenia regained independence. The developments have intensified concerns among religious freedom advocates that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government is increasingly interfering in the internal affairs of the country’s historic church. On Aug.