PM Nikol Pashinyan has offered to show his penis to prove circumcision amid a bitter feud with the Orthodox Church. The dispute follows accusations of betrayal, heresy—and an alleged coup plot.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sparked outrage after offering to show his penis to the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church in a bizarre response to questions about his faith.
The row began when church spokesperson Father Zareh Ashuryan suggested Pashinyan was not a Christian, claiming some political leaders had replaced “the seal of the Holy Cross with the sign of circumcision.”
Pashinyan responded on Facebook, saying he was ready “to accept the challenge” and prove he had been circumcised, a practice common among Armenian Christians. He also repeated earlier claims that Patriarch Karekin II had broken his vow of celibacy and fathered a child.
The church condemned his remarks as divisive but did not address the allegation.
The exchange comes days after authorities arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and 13 others over an alleged coup plot. Armenia’s Investigative Committee said the group had weapons and intended to seize power. Pashinyan described it as a foiled “criminal-oligarchic clergy” plan.