Apostolic Vicar of Istanbul from July 1992 to April 2016
Letter from the Superior General on this occasion…
Dear brothers and sisters,
Our brother, Bishop Louis-Armel Pelâtre, passed away today, Thursday, September 20, 2026, in Istanbul, Turkey, at the age of 86. For the past few days, our brothers from the Assumptionist community in Kadiköy had been keeping us informed of the deterioration of his health. I myself had met with him during my canonical visit at the end of last June. That day, he was alert; we even had lunch together with the brothers of the Istanbul community at the Little Sisters of the Poor, in the retirement home that Pope Leo XIV had visited during his trip to that country. Bishop Louis-Armel Pelâtre was among the 62 residents (of various religious denominations) present that day at the home, and he had been deeply moved by the personal greeting the pope had come to extend to him.
We are therefore in communion with our Assumptionist brothers of the Province of Europe, and more particularly with our brothers in the Kadiköy community, of which he had been a member before his appointment as Apostolic Vicar of Istanbul by John Paul II in 1992 and which welcomed him back for several years following the conclusion of his episcopal ministry in 2016. Our brothers remained very close to him through regular visits and prayer. You will find an overview of the life and mission of Bishop Louis Armel in other upcoming publications. He was the 13th Assumptionist to become a bishop, out of the 16 that our Congregation has had to date throughout our history.
I would like to quote here the message addressed by the Turkish Bishops’ Conference to the entire Church in that country: “Upon arriving in Turkey in 1970, Bishop Pelâtre made this land the concrete setting for his vocation and his service. He loved and served the Church with a shepherd’s heart, sharing in the joys and trials of the communities entrusted to him and faithfully upholding the hope of the Gospel. (…) With discretion, perseverance, and an evangelical spirit, he bore witness that the Church’s mission is above all presence, listening, charity, and fraternity. His pastoral service, carried out with humility and devotion, continues to speak to the heart of our Church and encourages us to walk in faith, hope, and love.”
We join in prayer with the entire Province of Europe and his biological family, and especially with the Assumptionist community in Istanbul. At the same time, we give thanks for what the Lord has given to the Assumption and to the universal Church through Bishop Louis Armel. May his love for the Assumption and for the Church be a source of inspiration for us all. May he rest in peace with his Creator.
United in the hope of the resurrection!
Ngoa Ya Tshihemba, a.a.
Superior General