Turkey's Constitutional Court said in a detailed ruling Wednesday that the decision from 2017 that refused to elect a new patriarch for the Armenian Orthodox Church was a violation of the right of religious freedom, Daily Sabah reported. 

“Under Turkish laws and patriarchate rules, a new patriarch cannot be elected while his predecessor is alive, and Mesrob II's case was the first instance that left the Armenian community puzzled about how to proceed with replacing a living religious leader, especially one that was also viewed as a uniting figure and a representative of the community. Archbishop Aram Ateşyan was appointed to serve as the Patriarchal Vicar in 2008 as the 84th patriarch had to withdraw from his duties,” the source noted.

The Constitutional Court of Turkey decided in May to satisfy the suit of one of the clergymen of the Constantinople Patriarchate as a violation of religious freedom.