Torkom Manoogian

Torkom II Avedis Manoogian ( born February 16, 1919 at the refugee camp near Baquba, Iraq, † 12 October 2012 in Jerusalem) was from 1990 until his death Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Manoogian visited the Armenian school in Baghdad and Jerusalem. On July 23, 1939 he was ordained a celibate priest and took the name Torkom (after Patriarch Torkom Koushagian ). Until 1946 he worked at the Jerusalem Patriarchate and the Theological Seminary, from 1946 to 1954 as a pastor in the United States, then to 1960, back in Jerusalem.

In 1962 he was elected head of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church in the USA ( Los Angeles ) and was consecrated in Echmiadzin by Catholicos Vasken I. on October 14, 1962 Bishop. In 1966 he took over as the successor of Tiran Nersoyan the line of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in the USA ( " Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern ) " ) (New York) and in 1968 was elevated to Archbishop. In America, he served until 1990.

On 22 March 1990 Archbishop Torkom Manoogian was elected the 96th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem.

He is the author of numerous books and has made a name for himself as a poet and musicologist.