AGOS EDITORIAL/ This election will open wounds

The election period for the Patriarch is persisting in the worst way imaginable. After Archbishop Çulciyan’s candidacy was revoked, he stated, “If I am the problem, then I am removing myself from the situation.” He also suggested that the domestic regulations that prevented those who were abroad from being candidates be challenged. Archbishop Bekçiyan also pulled out of the election in a show of solidarity with those who were prevented from being candidates. He urged the remaining two candidates, Bishop Maşalyan and Archbishop Ateşyan, to do the same.

However, Bishop Maşalyan and Archbishop Ateşyan have not been attentive to these and other concerns voiced by community members. They are continuing their campaigns. From the look of the scene, it is clear that following through with this election in this haphazard fashion will severely damage us. In 2010, we had a similarly unorthodox, poorly conducted election thrown together for the Acting Patriarch, and it has troubled us for 10 years. Those who say, “The election must be held as is, for we cannot delay,” may open doors to more troubling times. It is never too late. We would do better by correcting our mistakes.

In other news, Hrant Dink Foundation’s conference to be held in Kayseri was made illegal. It is unclear why this particular conference was blocked, especially given that it was just another one in a series of conferences that the Foundation was hosting in a number of cities. The decision to forcibly cancel the conference was illegal, not the conference. What did they not want discussed so much that they outlawed the conference?