His Beatitude Mesrob II, Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and All Turkey,
who
was involved in a road accident during a youth pilgrimage in the region
of
Antalya on 1st February, is steadily recovering at the Holy Saviour
Armenian
Hospital in Yedikule, Istanbul.

The Patriarch underwent a successful operation on 2nd February in the
late
afternoon and ever since has been receiving physio-therapy under the
daily
surveillance of Asst. Prof. Ufuk Talu, MD, of Istanbul University
Medical
School Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology. He is now able to
walk on
his left foot with the help of crutches and takes regular daily walking
exercises in the corridor of the hospital wing where he is being
presently
treated.

The cast on the Patriarch’s nose was removed on 10th February and the
stitches on his right leg are due to be removed this weekend. It is
hoped
that he himself will be allowed to return to his residence at the
Patriarchate possibly on 16th February.

Regarding the other injured parties: Attorney and Press Spokesperson
for the
Patriarchal See, Mrs. Luiz Bakar, is still at the Armenian Hospital and
will
be discharged before the weekend; she will have to rest for two months
in
order to allow the fractures in her pelvis to heal. Mr. Manuel Cýtak,
the
renowned free-lance Armenian photographer in Turkey, underwent an
operation
on his right femur bone as well as on his knee, and will probably be
discharged this weekend. The Patriarch’s driver and aide, Mr. Hovhannes
Bayram, has been put in a steel brace in which he will have to rest in
bed
for the next three months.

While being treated at the hospital, the Patriarch has received
numerous
greetings for a speedy recovery. While the group of doctors taking care
of
the Patriarch has not favoured that he should receive visitors,
nevertheless
some have been allowed by appointment to make such visits.

His Holiness Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Istanbul and
the
Orthodox Church woeldwide, has twice called on the Patriarch, on 4th
and 9th
February, accompanied by the Metropolitans Theoliptos and Kyrillos, on
both
occasions warmly extending his fraternal good wishes for a speedy
return to
health. He presented the Patriarch with a holy icon of Panteleimon, the
saintly physician who was martyred during the persecution of Diocletian
(c.
305).

Also paying personal visits to the Patriarch’s room were His Excellency
Mr.
Abdulkadir Aksu, the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Muhammer Güler, the
Governor of Istanbul, M.M. Thomas Antoine and Jean-Christopher
Peaucelle,
respectively the Belgian and French Consul Generals in Istanbul, and
also
Mr. Arsen Avakian, the permanent Representative of Armenia to the Black
Sea
Economic Cooperation. Contacting the Patriarch this week were the
Ambassadors of the United States and Germany, as well as a number of
other
consul-generals, including those of Israel and of several European
states.

Representatives of numerous Church organisations, Parish Councils,
Youth
groups, Ladies Auxiliaries, church choirs, Turkish NGO’s and Interfaith
groups also visited the hospital, but had to be content with signing a
Book
of Visitors provided by the Hospital Administration. Many faxes,
telephone
calls, e-mails and letters have been received by the Patriarchal See,
both
from within and without Turkey.