Hundreds take part in funeral of longtime Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem

JERUSALEM – Hundreds of cloaked clergymen have marched through the narrow alleyways of the Old City of Jerusalem to lay its longtime Armenian Patriarch to rest.

Torkom Manoogian died Oct. 12 after being hospitalized since January with cardiac problems. He was 93.

Since his election in 1990, Manoogian led a dwindling following of Armenians in Jerusalem. One of the four quarters of the Old City belongs to them. Armenians have a 1,600-year presence in the city. But a combination of political forces and the draw of a better life elsewhere have seen their numbers quietly drop below 1,000 people.

Manoogian previously led the Armenian church in the United States and was outspoken about the 1915 Armenian genocide committed against his people.