Patriarch Locum Tenens Karekin Bekciyan asks for support from Armenian community

Armenian Patriarch’s Locum Tenens Karekin Bekciyan has released a written statement, urging the clerics who voted for him to stand up for their votes and asked for the support of the representatives of the Armenian community, Agos reports.

Karekin Bekciyan, in a written statement, criticized Aram Atesyan, who hasn’t stepped down as the vicar, and reminded the agreement in Etchmiadzin. He wrote: “According to that agreement, my brother vicar was supposed to step down after the Locum Tenens is elected. I have to say that his insistence on holding on to that seat aimed to disrupt the election process. It seems that he succeeded in doing that.”

Stating that he is still waiting for the approval and blessing of Etchmiadzin concerning his new duty, Bekciyan said: “I don’t and cannot know why His Holiness Catholicos hasn’t taken that step yet. My understanding of church and religious ethics requires me to have respect for my religious fellows, clerics and religious seats.”

Bekciyan made a call to clerics and representatives of the Armenian society: “As the elected Locum Tenens, I must have the support of the people, representatives and the leaders of the people in order to direct the process strongly. Our people should support their Locum Tenens in order to deal with this hard situation which has been going on for 10 years.”