A new Yerevan-Armenian diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church has been formed in the territory of the Republic of Armenia, according to a decision taken by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on October 15, 2021. The meeting of the Holy Synod was held online, due to the complicated epidemiological situation linked to the spread of the new coronavirus infection.

The new diocese is to be headed by Archbishop Leonid of Yerevan and Armenia, who shall also retain his position as the Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations.

Vladimir Legoyda, Head of the Synodal Department for the Russian Orthodox Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media, recently visited Moscow for a tripartite meeting regarding Nagorny Karabakh. He said that Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenia, discussed the question with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

The majority of the Armenian population belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. However, there are also eight Russian Orthodox Church parishes in Armenia, and in 2016, a Patriarchal Deanery was established there.