CANDIDATE FOR ARMENIAN PATRIARCHATE OF TURKEY COOL TOWARD POLITICS
Hurriyet
May 30 2011
Turkey
The Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey should do its best to steer clear
of politics, according to a possible future patriarch. Archbishop
Karekin Bekjian, a candidate for the patriarchate and a primate
of the German diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, speaks to
Hurriyet Daily News when he was in in Istanbul to celebrate the 550th
anniversary of the patriarchate, which was only marked by a low-profile
service and a small reception due to the continuing illness of titular
Patriarch Mesrop II
Asked whether he would become a Turkish citizen if elected as
patriarch, Bekjian said he currently had both Turkish and German
citizenship.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey would do best to steer clear of
politics, according to a possible future patriarch who has vowed
to keep politics at an arm’s length from the church if elected to
the post.
“Even though I am personally concerned about politics, I would not
advise the Patriarchate to get involved in such matters,” Archbishop
Karekin Bekjian, a candidate for the patriarchate and a primate of
the German diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, told the Hurriyet
Daily News on Sunday.
Bekjian was in Istanbul to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the
patriarchate, which was only marked by a low-profile service and a
small reception due to the continuing illness of titular Patriarch
Mesrop II, who is incapable of discharging his duties due to dementia.
Grandiose plans to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the patriarchate
were turned down by prominent figures within the Armenian community
due to the patriarch’s illness.
In his stead, Archbishop Aram AteÅ~_yan was appointed as acting
patriarch although Bekjian was one of the leading opponent’s of
AteÅ~_yan’s investiture.
“A deputy patriarch was already appointed in 1998 while Mesrop II was
still in good health. Why was [someone else] appointed [afterwards]?
Was there a deal with the state? There should have been an election for
the patriarch as if the the current patriarch were dead,” Bekjian said.
Discussing his current role, Bekjian said his primary duty as a cleric
was to maintain the church’s well-being.
“Any bonds that will form between the diaspora [and the Armenian
Patriarchate in Turkey] must come about of its own accord. If they
prefer to recognize the patriarchate, then they will; and if they
prefer otherwise, then we will not feel any special obligation to
reach out to them,” said Bekjian, who is well-acquainted with the
Armenian diaspora because of his residence in Germany.
Asked whether he would become a Turkish citizen if elected as
patriarch, Bekjian said he currently had both Turkish and German
citizenship.
During the ceremony, AteÅ~_yan also presented Mustafa Sarıgul, the
mayor of Istanbul’s Å~^iÅ~_li district, with a Patriarchate Special
Service Gold Medal, marking the first time that a person of Turkish
descent has been awarded the honor.
Training future clerics
Mesrop II had suggested opening a theology department within a
university several years ago to raise new clerics for Istanbul’s
Armenian community, Bekjian said.
“The idea of sending young clerics to theology departments in Europe
had also come up, [but] I am not warm to that idea. Clerics must be
chosen from among the Armenians of Istanbul so that they can understand
the mentality, the cast of that mind that exists here,” Bekjian said.
Authorities used to permit the raising of new clerics at the Tıbrevank
School in Istanbul’s Uskudar district in the early 1960s, but this
right was revoked in 1968, the archbishop said. The school, which
still operates as the Private Surp Hac High School, lost its status
as a foundation in 1985, he said.
If the Halki Seminary on Heybeliada Island were to be opened again,
then the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey could also take advantage
of the situation, and clerics graduating from the seminary could
then enroll in theology seminars abroad before returning to Turkey,
Bekjian said.
“Our people in Germany speak Turkish and preach in Turkish. [Even
though] the Armenian community has a past in Europe that goes back 150
years, they do not have established traditions there,” said Bekjian.
The Armenian community of Istanbul, however, thrived on a
well-established system of traditions, according to Bekjian.
“Istanbul is my memories, my everything. For me, Istanbul is
a never-dying aspiration. I could not live without this city,”
Bekjian said.