Karekin II; Armenian Orthodox Leader in Turkey

Karekin II, 71, spiritual leader of Turkey’s 50,000-person Armenian Orthodox community. Born Bedros Kazanciyan in Istanbul, he studied for the priesthood in Jerusalem and then returned to Istanbul to teach and serve as head of an Armenian high school. He later served 15 years as patriarchal legate for the Far East and archbishop in Australia and New Zealand, and worked in Jerusalem as protector of holy places. In 1990, he became the 83rd Armenian Orthodox patriarch in Turkey. On Tuesday in Istanbul of an unspecified illness.