Archbishop Torkom Manoogian Laid to Rest

JERUSALEM — On Monday, October 22, the funeral service was performed for His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, the late 96th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, and former Primate of the Eastern Diocese, who passed away on October 12.
On the prior evening, the casket was carried in a procession from the Jaffa Gate to Sts. James Armenian Cathedral, where the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Monday morning. The Patriarch was subsequently interred at the Holy Savior Monastery at the Zion Gate.
Archbishop Aris Shirvanian presided over the funeral, in his capacity as the newly elected Locum Tenens of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He was elected to that position last Friday, during a special meeting of the Patriarchate’s monastic brotherhood. He will lead the organization of a patriarchal election following the 40-day period of mourning for Patriarch Torkom.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, paid his final respects to Patriarch Torkom in a eulogy: “He was one of the very few churchmen of his generation to carry the weight of our church on his shoulders. He stood out . . . and seemed to combine all the grace and dignity of the Armenian past, with all our fondest hopes and aspirations for the future. “