Armenian patriarch to stay despite his illness
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 05, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The Armenian Patriarchy is not an office that can function without an acting patriarch, said the editor-in-chief of Armenian daily Jamanak Ara Koçunyan, criticizing the decision of the Spiritual Council not to replace Patriarch Mesrob II who is said to be suffering from frontal lobe dementia.
As concern grows over the patriarchy without a patriarch, senior members of the community say any comments about the health of the patriarch attracts serious criticism from the conservative community and the patriarchy.
Speaking to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Koçunyan, whose newspaper first broke the story about the deteriorating health of the patriarch, said: "It is a very sensitive subject. It can be perceived as disrespectful to the office of the patriarch.
Koçunyan said the Spiritual Assembly met mid last year due to increasing concern over the patriarch and asked for the community to wait until the new year for a decision.
In a statement released by the Spiritual Synod last week, it was reported that members recognized Patriarch Mesrob II as the spiritual leader of the Armenian community in Turkey and that the patriarch was capable of handling all his responsibilities. "Members of the Spiritual Council do not believe it is necessary to cloud the community’s agenda with an issue such as the election of the patriarch and advise members of the community to wait in faith and patience," it said.
Koçunyan said the Spiritual Council did not have the right to issue such a declaration and that the Armenian Church traditionally did not have such an executive mechanism. "The Spiritual Council does not elect the patriarch. It is trying to force a fait accompli on the community."
Koçunyan said, "I would not like to judge the policies of an ill patriarch, but he did not display the democratic sensitivities of his predecessor," stating that both his newspaper and the Agos weekly faced embargoes and other prohibitions from the patriarchate in the past.
Speaking to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Koçunyan, whose newspaper first broke the story about the deteriorating health of the patriarch, said: "It is a very sensitive subject. It can be perceived as disrespectful to the office of the patriarch.
Koçunyan said the Spiritual Assembly met mid last year due to increasing concern over the patriarch and asked for the community to wait until the new year for a decision.
In a statement released by the Spiritual Synod last week, it was reported that members recognized Patriarch Mesrob II as the spiritual leader of the Armenian community in Turkey and that the patriarch was capable of handling all his responsibilities. "Members of the Spiritual Council do not believe it is necessary to cloud the community’s agenda with an issue such as the election of the patriarch and advise members of the community to wait in faith and patience," it said.
Koçunyan said the Spiritual Council did not have the right to issue such a declaration and that the Armenian Church traditionally did not have such an executive mechanism. "The Spiritual Council does not elect the patriarch. It is trying to force a fait accompli on the community."
Koçunyan said, "I would not like to judge the policies of an ill patriarch, but he did not display the democratic sensitivities of his predecessor," stating that both his newspaper and the Agos weekly faced embargoes and other prohibitions from the patriarchate in the past.