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Istanbul's Armenians Take Issue Of Electing New Patriarch To The Cou

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  • Istanbul's Armenians Take Issue Of Electing New Patriarch To The Cou

    ISTANBUL'S ARMENIANS TAKE ISSUE OF ELECTING NEW PATRIARCH TO THE COURTS

    epress.am
    09.30.2011 15:26

    The civil hearings of the lawsuit launched by lawyers from Istanbul's
    Armenian community vs. the Turkish state were held in Istanbul on
    Sept. 29.

    As reported by the Epress.am correspondent in Istanbul, the case
    refers to the elections of the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople
    (Istanbul). Due to the current Patriarch's poor health, the Armenian
    community wanted to elect a new Patriarch. Armenian Patriarch of
    Constantinople Mesrob Mutafyan has been suffering from dementia for
    several years and is unable to perform his duties.

    In 2 years, the Armenian community gathered 6,000 signatures, appealing
    to Turkish authorities to organize elections for a new patriarch -
    which apparently they are able to do, according to Ottoman rules
    dating from 1863.

    The Turkish state denied this request, stating that as long as Mesrob
    II remains alive, a new patriarch cannot be elected.

    As a result, the Patriarchate electoral committee decided to take the
    issue to court to assert their right to elect a new patriarch. The
    first hearings took place yesterday with the presence of several
    Armenian attorneys. Spokesperson for the attorneys Sebuh Aslangil said
    that's a pity that they are forced to take the issue up in court but
    the community needs to elect a new patriarch.

    The committee of Armenian attorneys have declared that they're against
    Turkey's intervention. They are currently awaiting the court's ruling.




    From: A. Papazian
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