The bishops and archbishops who had sworn loyalty to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who did not dare to appear among the people gathered at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin without the escort of security bodies, read their statement and quickly left under the escort of a large number of special forces’ officers of the National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia.

They had formed a human chain on all sides around these bishops and archbishops walking in a line one after another.

But supporters of the Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, followed them until the very end, until these bishops and archbishops got into vehicle, shouting throughout “Judases,” “defilers.”

It is noteworthy that the NSS officers, in an organized manner, seated all these bishops and archbishops into a van specially brought for them; presumably, these bishops and archbishops had been brought to Etchmiadzin in it.

These bishops and archbishops left reporters’ questions unanswered as to why high-ranking clergymen were moving under law enforcement escort and what they were afraid of.

In essence, these bishops and archbishops did not participate in the rally they themselves had called demanding the Catholicos’ removal.

They remained the entire time confined within one of the areas of the Saint Gayane Church, and only for a few minutes, escorted by NSS officers, went to the Mother See grounds to read their statement.

As reported earlier, the ten bishops and archbishops, who support Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in his confrontation with the Armenian Apostolic Church, on Wednesday issued a statement calling on people to join them at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin on Thursday at 5pm to demand the resignation of the Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II.

Subsequently, the Diocese of Aragatsotn, whose primate is among the detained high-ranking clergymen, issued a statement on relocating its planned joint prayer service from the Byurakan village church to the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. The joint prayer service in support of the detained clergymen had kicked off today at 5pm, simultaneously with the gathering of those demanding the Catholicos’ resignation.

Large-scale police forces have been deployed in the area.