The Synod of the Armenian Catholic Church has failed to reach agreement on the election of a new Patriarch. The Synod was convened on June 22, to elect a successor to Patriarch Kirko Bedros XXI Ghabroyan, who died in May. The Synod—consisting of twelve senior bishops of the Armenian Church—has now ended its session. If the Synod does not reconvene for a successful election, the choice of the new Patriarch would be made by the Pope.

The Armenian Apostolic Church broke with Rome after the Council of Chalcedon. But some Armenians sought to restore communion with the Holy See, and in 1740 the Vatican recognized an Armenian Catholic hierarchy. The faithful of the Armenian Catholic Church live primarily in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, although many migrated to the West after the Armenian genocide.