Archbishop Mesrob II Mutafyan (in Armenian Մեսրոպ Բ Մութաֆեան), or Mutafian, also known as Mesrop Mutafyan in

Eastern Armenian Eastern Armenian ( ''arevelahayeren'') is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Western Armenian. The two standards form a pluricentric language. Eastern Armenian is spoken in Armenia, Artsakh, Russia, as we ...

transliteration (16 June 1956 – 8 March 2019), was the 84th Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople. The

Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople ( tr, İstanbul Ermeni Patrikhanesi; Western hy, Պատրիարքութիւն Հայոց Կոստանդնուպոլսոյ, ''Badriark'ut'iun Hayots' Gosdantnubolsoy'') is an autonomous See. The seat of ...

is one of the four Sees of Armenian Apostolic Church (the other three being

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin ( hy, Մայր Աթոռ Սուրբ Էջմիածին, translit=Mayr At’oř Surb Ēĵmiatsin), known in Armenian as simply the Mother See (Մայր Աթոռ, ''Mayr At’oř''), is the governing body of the Armen ...

, the Holy See of Cilicia and the

Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem also known as the Armenian Patriarchate of Saint James ( hy, Առաքելական Աթոռ Սրբոց Յակովբեանց Յերուսաղեմ, , ) is located in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. The ...

) and has an autocephalous status, accepting, on the other hand, spiritual supremacy of the Catholicos of Armenia and of all Armenians in Holy Echmiadzin.

Early life

Mesrob Mutafyan born Minas Mutafian graduated from the American High School in Kornwestheim near

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

, Germany. From 1974 to 1979, he studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and sociology in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. On 13 May 1979, he was ordained to priesthood taking the name Mesrob and was commissioned pastor of Kınalıada, one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul with a small Armenian community. Between 1979 and 1981, he continued his theological studies in Jerusalem. On 21 September 1986, Mesrob Mutafyan was elevated to the rank of a bishop in Echmiadzin, Armenia. From 1982 to 1990, he coordinated the ecumenical relationships of the Patriarchate. He attended the

Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy O ...

Rome, Italy , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

in 1988/1989. In 1993, he was elevated to the rank of

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

to serve the diocese of Princes' Islands. From 1997, Mutafyan acted as the vicar general of the

. Following the death of

Patriarch Karekin II Kazanjian of Constantinople Archbishop Karekin II Kazanjian, (in Armenian Գարեգին Բ Գազանճյան) (May 18, 1927, Istanbul (Turkey) – March 10, 1998 İstanbul) was the 83rd Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople under the authority of the Catholicos of Armenia an ...

, Mesrob Mutafyan was elected locum tenens on 16 March 1998 to serve as the temporary leader of the Church until an election was held. Even though the Turkish local authorities demanded Archbishop of Üsküdar Şahan Sıvaciyan, the retired longest-serving archbishop, should succeed, Mesrob Mutafyan was finally elected the 84th Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople on 14 October, 1998 and could take office. During his apostolic journey to Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI visited also the

Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Church Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Church, also known as the Holy Mother of God Patriarchal Church, ( hy, Սուրբ Աստուածածին Աթոռանիստ Մայր Տաճար, tr, Aziz Meryem Ana Patriklik Kilisesi) is an Armenian Apostolic Chur ...

Kumkapı Kumkapı (meaning 'sand gate' in Turkish) is a quarter in Fatih district of Istanbul. It is located along the northern shore of Marmara Sea. Up to recent times, Kumkapı is the center of the Armenian community of the city, boasting a school an ...

, İstanbul, where he attended a religious ceremony and held later talks with Patriarch Mesrob II on 30 November 2006. He was also a member of the Elijah Interfaith Institute Board of World Religious Leaders.

Illness and elections for locum tenens

In July 2008, it was announced that Mesrob Mutafyan was suffering from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

and he withdrew from all his duties and from public life; however he still officially remained patriarch and archbishop. Archbishop Aram Ateşyan ran the day-to-day affairs of the Patriarchate after being appointed Patriarchal Vicar of Constantinople with 25 of the 26 members of the Religious Council voting for him. Archbishop Aram Ateşyan had been the Locum tenens (Pokhanort in Armenian) since 2010 because of the ill health of the patriarch. On 26 October 2016, Mesrob Mutafyan was retired by the synod because of his illness which had continued for more than 7 years. As tensions escalated leading to the resignation of head of Patriarchate's Religious Council Bishop Shahak Mashalian, Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians summoned the lead clerics including Ateşyan, Mashalian and Bekdjian from Istanbul to Etchmiadzin for a mediated solution in February 2017. The decision was taken to hold elections for a Locum Tenens on 15 March, followed by a patriarchal election within six months. On 15 March 2017, Patriarchate's Clerical Assembly elected Archbishop Karekin Bekdjian, the Primate of the Armenian Church Diocese of Germany as Locum tenens or Patriarchal alternate (Deghabah). But Archbishop Ateşyan refused to step down after the election of Bekdjian.

Death

He died on 8 March 2019. Bishop Sahak Mashalian was elected as his successor.

References

External links

Who is who (Mesrob Mutafyan)

Interview with Patriarch Mesrob II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutafyan, Mesrob 1956 births 2019 deaths Armenian Patriarchs of Constantinople Turkish people of Armenian descent Armenian Oriental Orthodox Christians 20th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops 21st-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops People with Alzheimer's disease