Armenian lawmakers of Turkey react to launch of patriarchal election process

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS. Ethnic Armenian lawmakers of Turkey’s parliament Garo Paylan (Peoples’ Democratic Party) and Selina Doğan (Republican People’s Party) on June 1 participated in the welcoming ceremony in Kumkapi’s St. Mary Church in honor of patriarchal locum tenens Archbishop Garegin Bekchian, reports Armenpress.

“Locum tenens Bekchian already starts the work. I wish this new era will be good for the Armenian community”, Paylan writes on Facebook.

In her turn Selina Doğan also posted a note on Facebook, stating that Archbishop Garegin Bekchian, who was elected locum tenens by the Church Council of Istanbul’s Armenian Patriarchate, assumed his duties through a ceremony held in St. Mary Church. “Bekchian from the German city of Cologne will lead the patriarchal election process. I wish this process will bring peace and solidarity to our country and community”, she said.