YEREVAN, JULY 5, ARMENPRESS. The Spiritual Council of Istanbul’s Armenian Patriarchate held a meeting on July 5 chaired by patriarchal locum tenens Bishop Sahak Mashalian, the Patriarchate told Armenpress.

A decision was made to elect Archbishop Aram Ateshyan as chair of the Spiritual Council.

Previously, Bishop Sahak Mashalian was serving as chair of the Spiritual Council, but on July 4 he was elected as patriarchal locum tenens, therefore, this position remained vacant.

After the election of Mashalian as locum tenens, the process of electing a new patriarch has officially launched in the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul.

Patriarch Mesrob II died in March 2019.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan