The Armenian Patriarchy is not an office that can function without an acting patriarch, said the editor-in-chief of Armenian daily Jamanak Ara Kochunyan, 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 Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Kochunyan, 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.
Kochunyan 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
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