There’s an article in today’s Hurriyet Daily News reporting that the Armenian Church in Istanbul has decided not to bless mixed marriages.

It states that permission for mixed marriages was given by Patriarch Mesrop Mutafyan in 2000, but that acting Patriarch Aram Ateşyan has decided to halt the practice as of October 1.

The article interviews individuals who took advantage of the practice in the past and those who are scheduled to marry someone of a different religion.

The Armenian community of Istanbul has of late experienced an increase in Armenians marrying Turkish Muslims.