President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a message of condolences on the death of the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople , Archbishop Mesrop Mutafyan.

“It is with deep pain that I learned about the death of the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Mesrop Mutafyan. For decades, Archbishop Mesrop Mutafyan carried on his shoulders the cross of service to his people and faith. He was not only a devoted servant of the holy Armenian Apostolic Church, but also as the 84th Patriarch, one of our spiritual pillars outside of Armenia, on whom a huge community relied in questions of the preservation of language and national identity,” the message says.

“Archbishop Mesrop Mutafyan was devoted to the Christian faith and turned spiritual commitment into a sacred duty before the people and God. It was an inseparable part of the new history of the Armenian Constantinople community”, he said.

The Armenian president noted that he has warm recollections about his meetings in the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Armenia and abroad, as well as conversations about the Armenian church and history.