Hovhannes Tcholakian

Hovhannes Tcholakian was a Turkish-Armenian Archbishop of the Armenian Catholic Church. He was born in Istanbul on 12 April 1919 and ordained a priest in Istanbul on 25 April 1943. He was elected archbishop on 23 May 1966 and consecrated on 16 January 1967 by Gregorio Pietro Agagianian, the Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia. Between 1967 and 2015, he served as the Archbishop of Istanbul, the head of the Armenian Catholic Archeparchy of Istanbul. He was the longest-serving archbishop in the history of the Armenian Catholic Church. He was also a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He was known for his ecumenical efforts and his pastoral care for the Catholic Armenians in Turkey. He resigned from his office in March 2015 at the age of 95, due to health reasons. He was succeeded by Boghos Lévon Zékiyan, the former Archbishop of the Armenian Catholic Archeparchy of Constantinople. He died on 16 September 2016 at the age of 97. He was buried in the Surp Hovhannes Vosgeperan Church in Istanbul, where he had served for almost five decades. He was praised by the Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni and the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Mesrob II Mutafyan for his dedicated service and his contribution to the Armenian Catholic Church and the Armenian community in Turkey.