Armenian Patriarch In Turkey Dies At 62

Patriarch Mesrob II, the leader of the Armenian Orthodox Christians in Turkey, has died. He was 62.

Mesrob Mutafyan, the 84th Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, died in hospital in Istanbul on March 8.

Serving as patriarch since 1998, Mesrob had been incapacitated since being diagnosed with dementia in 2008.

Archbishop Aram Atesyan was appointed as the acting patriarch for Turkey’s Armenian community which numbers an estimated 70,000.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Atesyan to offer his condolences.

Mesrob was born Minas Mutafyan in Istanbul in 1956.

It was not clear when his funeral would be held.

A new patriarch will be elected following a 40-day mourning period.

Based on reporting by AP and Anadolu