ArmInfo. The newly elected Locum Tenens of Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, Archbishop Karekin Bekdjian made a statement, urging the Armenian community of Turkey and the Armenians worldwide not to worry about the elections of the 85th Patriarch.
Archbishop Bekdjian has told Istanbul-based Agos Weekly that the process of election of the 85th Patriarch of Constantinople is going on in accordance with the schedule. He expresses confidence that the responsible persons involved in the process will exert efforts to hold the process peacefully.
Earlier Aram Ateshian, who was appointed Deputy Patriarch of Constantinople by the Turkish Government, publicized the statement of the Istanbul Municipality, saying that the patriarchal elections are impossible from the legal point of view. He noted that he would not resign himself. After that, the Municipality made a statement, saying that the March 15 elections of the Locum Tenens won by Archbishop Bekdjian with 23 votes "for" out of 34 votes and the upcoming patriarchal elections allegedly had no legal bases.
On March 20 Ateshian held a liturgy service at the Istanbul church, but the Armenian community representatives boycotted the service. Prior to the Locum Tenens elections, the Armenians of Istanbul applied to Catholicos of All Armenians to interfere in Ateshian's activity. They stressed that the Patriarchate must resolve the community's problems, but it is only creating problems. They also urged the Catholicos to ensure Ateshian's resignation and facilitate transparent and unbiased elections of the Patriarch of Constantinople. At the meeting held by Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, it was decided to hold elections of vicar before March 15, after which the powers of Ateshian will be terminated. Afterwards, before March 25, the elections of the Initiative Structure will be held and the Structure, in turn, will hold the patriarchal elections within a six-month period.
The community's negative attitude towards Ateshian intensified after his letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which Ateshian condemned German Bundestag's adoption of the resolution on the Armenian Genocide.
To recall, the post of the Patriarch of Constantinople has been held by Mesrop Mutafian since 1998. However, after he underwent surgeries and several assassination attempts by the members of Ergenekon terrorist organization, the health of 53-year-old Patriarch deteriorated and he was diagnosed with incurable amnesia.