On July 24th, the Synod of the Armenian Catholic Church convened in Beirut and elected the 80 year old Grégorie Pierre XX Ghabroyan as patriarch. Pope Francis confirmed the appointment and granted the 'ecclesiastical communionâ? within a few hours.
Until 2013, Grégorie Pierre XX Ghabroyan was the apostolic exarch for Armenian Catholics living in France, but he resigned due to his advanced age.
He will become the successor to Nersés Pierre XIX Tarmouni, who died on June 25th.