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ARMENIAN PATRIARCH OF TURKEY: RELIGIOUS OR POLITICAL LEADER?
By Harut Sassounian
Asbarez
www.asbarez.info/2009/05/08/ar menian-patriarch-of-turkey-religious-or-political- leader/
May 8th, 2009
year ago, the 53-year-old Patriarch of Turkey, Mesrob Mutafyan, was
unexpectedly diagnosed with a debilitating and apparently incurable
illness. His official duties were assumed on a temporary basis by
Archbishop Aram Ateshian, 55, and Archbishop Shahan Svajian, 83.
There have been many puzzling questions as to the cause of the
Patriarch's illness. His doctors have announced that he is suffering
from an unspecified neurological disorder and loss of memory.
Members of the Istanbul Armenian community have expressed conflicting
opinions as to the advisability of replacing the Patriarch. Electing
a replacement is problematic, as Patriarchs usually serve for
life. However, such an important seat cannot remain vacant for
long. Patriarch Mutafyan was elected to his post in 1998.
There are only about 10 Armenian clergymen worldwide who qualify to
stand as candidates in a new patriarchal election, since Turkish law
disqualifies those not born in that country. Two of the 10 clergymen
reside in Istanbul, while the rest are in Armenia, the United States
and Germany.
Since Archbishop Atesyan has already taken on many of the patriarchal
duties, he may emerge as the front-runner in a future election for
that post. It is therefore important for the Armenian public to be
informed about his background, actions and statements.
In previous patriarchal elections, the Turkish government has indicated
to the local Armenian community its preferred candidate. An early
indication of such a preference would be the number of times a
particular clergyman is invited to Ankara for "consultation."
To gain insight into Abp. Atesyan's positions on Armenian-Turkish
issues, here are several excerpts from his lengthy interview with
Spiegel online, the electronic version of the prominent German Der
Spiegel magazine.
The interview was conducted shortly after the Armenian clergyman, along
with the Jewish Rabbi, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Syriac Orthodox
Church, and the Islamic Mufti of Istanbul met with Pres. Obama in
Istanbul last month. The Greek Patriarch met separately with the
U.S. President.
Abp. Atesyan told Spiegel that he "spoke with Pres. Obama about the
events of 1915 and told him that both peoples suffered." He also the
President: "We, the Armenians in Turkey, are like the children of a
divorce. In Turkish, we call our homeland 'Anavatan' - that means
'motherland' - and in Armenian we call it 'Hayrenik,' which means
'fatherland.' We have lived with our mother for the past 80 years. Now
we want our parents to finally reconcile."
Commenting on Pres. Obama's April 24 statement, Abp. Atesyan said:
"The Turkish government is unhappy that the US president used the term
'Meds Yeghern,' the 'Great Catastrophe.' That is the common Armenian
name for the events of 1915 and basically means the same thing. But
there is also some disappointment among Armenians. Many wished that
he would specifically use the G-word. But of course he did not. The
US needs Turkey, it is one of its most important strategic partners."
Abp. Atesyan proceeded to explain that "Armenians have been living on
Anatolian soil for the past 2,000 years, and for the last thousand we
have shared this land with the Turks. Our people were like brothers -
until the tragic events of 1915. Now there is hope once again, but
we should not gamble it away. Therefore the next step is diplomatic
rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia, followed by the opening of
common borders."
Interestingly, he dismissed the much talked about possible formation
of a "historical commission," by asserting that "a closer examination
of our history will not be attempted for the time being."
When asked about the Armenian Diaspora's demands for genocide
recognition, Abp. Atesyan responded very cautiously: "I do not want
to judge them. I do not want to judge anyone. I am a member of the
clergy, it's not my responsibility to conduct historical research or
raise questions of guilt. The only thing I want to say to my Turkish
and Armenian counterparts is: We know that something very terrible
happened to my people in 1915.
We also know that Turks and Muslims suffered. And we know that today
there is a chance for our people to engage with each other."
Abp. Atesyan then commented on recent developments in Turkey: "Yes,
there is certainly a change of mentality in Turkey. Ten years ago,
no one would have had the courage to ask questions about the events
of 1915. This fear has receded; today one can write about the issue
or discuss it on television. In comparison to the 1990s, human rights
in this country have made a big leap forward. This also affects our
ability to practice our religion. We are now in a position to freely
renovate our churches. Until recently, we had to ask permission from
the government for each new nail.... It is an unwritten law in this
country that a Christian can never be a government minister or a
military officer. But I believe that this could change in the future.
The problem in giving such interviews is that Armenian clergymen in
Turkey have to be extremely careful about what they say publicly,
given that country's draconian laws restricting freedom of speech. One
wrong word can land them in jail or worse! In his case, Abp. Atesyan
has an even more compelling reason for minding his words. He could
either ingratiate himself to the Turkish authorities or have them
veto his patriarchal candidacy.
The wisest course for an Armenian clergyman in Turkey is to deal
exclusively with religious issues and not discuss politics, thus
avoiding the possibility of being used as a propaganda tool for the
Turkish government.
By Harut Sassounian
Asbarez
www.asbarez.info/2009/05/08/ar menian-patriarch-of-turkey-religious-or-political- leader/
May 8th, 2009
year ago, the 53-year-old Patriarch of Turkey, Mesrob Mutafyan, was
unexpectedly diagnosed with a debilitating and apparently incurable
illness. His official duties were assumed on a temporary basis by
Archbishop Aram Ateshian, 55, and Archbishop Shahan Svajian, 83.
There have been many puzzling questions as to the cause of the
Patriarch's illness. His doctors have announced that he is suffering
from an unspecified neurological disorder and loss of memory.
Members of the Istanbul Armenian community have expressed conflicting
opinions as to the advisability of replacing the Patriarch. Electing
a replacement is problematic, as Patriarchs usually serve for
life. However, such an important seat cannot remain vacant for
long. Patriarch Mutafyan was elected to his post in 1998.
There are only about 10 Armenian clergymen worldwide who qualify to
stand as candidates in a new patriarchal election, since Turkish law
disqualifies those not born in that country. Two of the 10 clergymen
reside in Istanbul, while the rest are in Armenia, the United States
and Germany.
Since Archbishop Atesyan has already taken on many of the patriarchal
duties, he may emerge as the front-runner in a future election for
that post. It is therefore important for the Armenian public to be
informed about his background, actions and statements.
In previous patriarchal elections, the Turkish government has indicated
to the local Armenian community its preferred candidate. An early
indication of such a preference would be the number of times a
particular clergyman is invited to Ankara for "consultation."
To gain insight into Abp. Atesyan's positions on Armenian-Turkish
issues, here are several excerpts from his lengthy interview with
Spiegel online, the electronic version of the prominent German Der
Spiegel magazine.
The interview was conducted shortly after the Armenian clergyman, along
with the Jewish Rabbi, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Syriac Orthodox
Church, and the Islamic Mufti of Istanbul met with Pres. Obama in
Istanbul last month. The Greek Patriarch met separately with the
U.S. President.
Abp. Atesyan told Spiegel that he "spoke with Pres. Obama about the
events of 1915 and told him that both peoples suffered." He also the
President: "We, the Armenians in Turkey, are like the children of a
divorce. In Turkish, we call our homeland 'Anavatan' - that means
'motherland' - and in Armenian we call it 'Hayrenik,' which means
'fatherland.' We have lived with our mother for the past 80 years. Now
we want our parents to finally reconcile."
Commenting on Pres. Obama's April 24 statement, Abp. Atesyan said:
"The Turkish government is unhappy that the US president used the term
'Meds Yeghern,' the 'Great Catastrophe.' That is the common Armenian
name for the events of 1915 and basically means the same thing. But
there is also some disappointment among Armenians. Many wished that
he would specifically use the G-word. But of course he did not. The
US needs Turkey, it is one of its most important strategic partners."
Abp. Atesyan proceeded to explain that "Armenians have been living on
Anatolian soil for the past 2,000 years, and for the last thousand we
have shared this land with the Turks. Our people were like brothers -
until the tragic events of 1915. Now there is hope once again, but
we should not gamble it away. Therefore the next step is diplomatic
rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia, followed by the opening of
common borders."
Interestingly, he dismissed the much talked about possible formation
of a "historical commission," by asserting that "a closer examination
of our history will not be attempted for the time being."
When asked about the Armenian Diaspora's demands for genocide
recognition, Abp. Atesyan responded very cautiously: "I do not want
to judge them. I do not want to judge anyone. I am a member of the
clergy, it's not my responsibility to conduct historical research or
raise questions of guilt. The only thing I want to say to my Turkish
and Armenian counterparts is: We know that something very terrible
happened to my people in 1915.
We also know that Turks and Muslims suffered. And we know that today
there is a chance for our people to engage with each other."
Abp. Atesyan then commented on recent developments in Turkey: "Yes,
there is certainly a change of mentality in Turkey. Ten years ago,
no one would have had the courage to ask questions about the events
of 1915. This fear has receded; today one can write about the issue
or discuss it on television. In comparison to the 1990s, human rights
in this country have made a big leap forward. This also affects our
ability to practice our religion. We are now in a position to freely
renovate our churches. Until recently, we had to ask permission from
the government for each new nail.... It is an unwritten law in this
country that a Christian can never be a government minister or a
military officer. But I believe that this could change in the future.
The problem in giving such interviews is that Armenian clergymen in
Turkey have to be extremely careful about what they say publicly,
given that country's draconian laws restricting freedom of speech. One
wrong word can land them in jail or worse! In his case, Abp. Atesyan
has an even more compelling reason for minding his words. He could
either ingratiate himself to the Turkish authorities or have them
veto his patriarchal candidacy.
The wisest course for an Armenian clergyman in Turkey is to deal
exclusively with religious issues and not discuss politics, thus
avoiding the possibility of being used as a propaganda tool for the
Turkish government.