PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Patriarchate
34130 Kumkapi
Istanbul, Turkey

THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCH’S PILGRIMAGE INTERRUPTED BY ROAD ACCIDENT

Participating in the pilgrimage organised by the youth of the
community, His Beatitude Mesrob II, Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul
and all Turkey, and his entourage had a road accident on a mountain
slope about five km north of Antalya.

Altogether 57 Armenian pilgrims from Istanbul went on a four day
pilgrimage to Antalya in southern Turkey, visiting sites where St.
Paul had preached. The trip was organised by the Youth Group of the
Patriarchal See and was attended also by the Patriarch, Father Sahag
Masalyan, Father John Whooley, photography artist Manuel Citak, and
attorney Luiz Bakar. Having visited Perge, the Patriarch and the
pilgrims held a liturgy in St. Paul’s Centre, Antalya, and on the
following day, Sunday February 1st, before continuing on to other
ancient sites such as Phaselis, Olympos and Myra, they had a mid-day
picnic, at the Saklikent mountain resort on the Taurus Range about
two hours north of Antalya. At 17:00 hours on the way down the
mountain, the breaks of the midibus in which the Patriarch and his
entourage were traveling failed, and following a loss of control,
the midibus crashed into the side of the mountain. Fortunately, the
vehicle stayed on the left side, as there was a precipice on the
other side.

The other two midibuses carrying the rest of the group were not
involved in the accident. The Patriarch was injured as well as the
artist Manuel Citak, Luiz Bakar and one of the patriarchal
assistants Hovhannes Bayram. Slight injuries were sustained by
Father Sahag Masalyan, Father John Whooley, Arlin Sahbaz, Arda Sari,
Aris Tepeli.

Being in a remote area, the security centre was informed by cell
phone. In a matter of seconds, the Governor of Antalya and the
Minister of the Interior of the Turkish Republic called the
Patriarch to wish him a quick recovery and informed the gendarmery
and the health department to take immediate action. In only twenty
minutes, the gendarmery and three ambulances reached the site of the
accident. All the injured were transferred to the Akdeniz Foundation
Hospital in Antalya where a group of medical experts were waiting,
having been informed by Interior Ministry. On arrival, the injured
were taken immediately to the Emergency Unit and the necessary
medical examinations were carried out.

As a result, it was discovered that the Patriarch’s nose had been
broken and that there was a three centimetre tear in the
nasopharingeal area. His right leg sustained a multiple fracture of
the tibia. Necessary emergency treatment was given to him and to the
other injured persons. The following morning, Monday, February 2nd,
all the injured, except attorney Luiz Bakar whose injuries were such
as to prevent immediate travel, were flown to Istanbul, three of
them including the Patriarch being on stretchers. All were
hospitalised in the Holy Saviour Armenian Hospital in Yedikule,
Istanbul.

The Patriarch underwent his first operation, that is to say on the
nose, at four in the afternoon and then at night the leg was
operated on, which lasted for three and a half hours. Manuel Citak
was operated on Tuesday February 3rd. The chief surgeon of the
Hospital, Dr. Arman Cakir, issued a statement informing the Armenian
community and the public at large that the operations on the
Patriarch were successful and that he was responding well to the
treatment and there was nothing threatening to his life system.

His Holiness Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians in Etchmiadzin,
His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia in Antellias, His
Beatitude Torkom II of Jerusalem, the Papal Nuncio in Ankara, His
Excellency Edmond Farhad in his and Pope John Paul II’s name, the
Turkish Prime Minister Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Foreign
Minister M