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Turkish Daily News
Jan 22 2007
Dink not mentioned in Sunday's sermon
Monday, January 22, 2007
VERCÝHAN ZÝFLÝOÐLU
ISTANBUL- Turkish Daily News
Participants of this Sunday's service of the Virgin Mary Church in
Kumpkapý, also home to the Armenian Patriarchate building, were greatly
surprised because the assassination of Turkish-Armenian writer Hrant
Dink, one of the country's prominent defenders of freedom of speech
who was outspokenly against Turkey's official denial of the alleged
genocide of Armenians, was not mentioned once during the sermon,
a TDN correspondent attending the funeral reported.
Turkey's Armenian community would traditionally be expected to mark
Dink's assassination with a lengthy Sunday address and hymns sung
by a large choir. However, yesterday's service at the Patriarchate's
Virgin Mary Church with a 15-person choir was nothing but extremely
unexceptional, which is anything but ordinary.
Armenian Patriarch of the Istanbul Armenian community Mesrob Mutafyan,
known for keeping his distance stance from Dink, which was not
unreciprocated, did not attend the service. Thus Sunday's sermon was
carried out by another priest of the church. The bi-lingual sermon
delivered in Turkish and Armenian mainly focused on the Bible and
the life of Christ and made no single mention of Dink.
Hrant Dink, the voice of freedom for Armenian society, was frequently
a target of criticism among some sections of Istanbul's conservative
Armenian community. Dink had troublesome relations with the Istanbul
Armenian Patriarchate, which severely reacted to Dink's unorthodox
views.
Meanwhile, Karekin II, the Patriarch of all Armenians, sent a letter
today to Archbishop Mutafyan, about the tragic assassination in
Istanbul yesterday of journalist Dink, editor of the "Agos" weekly
newspaper.
The message expressed sorrow over Dink's assassination. The
statement said: "All our people and we grieve the loss of yet another
intellectual who has become an innocent victim. In the strongest
of terms, we condemn this clandestine assassination which took from
our people a graceful and courageous son, who faithfully brought his
service with his pen for the love of a just, free and peaceful life
and better world. We also expect that the authorities of Turkey will
uncover and punish the individuals responsible for this crime to the
fullest extent of the law."
--Boundary_(ID_qjrwNkBRSwtLRDaSAbdipQ) --
Jan 22 2007
Dink not mentioned in Sunday's sermon
Monday, January 22, 2007
VERCÝHAN ZÝFLÝOÐLU
ISTANBUL- Turkish Daily News
Participants of this Sunday's service of the Virgin Mary Church in
Kumpkapý, also home to the Armenian Patriarchate building, were greatly
surprised because the assassination of Turkish-Armenian writer Hrant
Dink, one of the country's prominent defenders of freedom of speech
who was outspokenly against Turkey's official denial of the alleged
genocide of Armenians, was not mentioned once during the sermon,
a TDN correspondent attending the funeral reported.
Turkey's Armenian community would traditionally be expected to mark
Dink's assassination with a lengthy Sunday address and hymns sung
by a large choir. However, yesterday's service at the Patriarchate's
Virgin Mary Church with a 15-person choir was nothing but extremely
unexceptional, which is anything but ordinary.
Armenian Patriarch of the Istanbul Armenian community Mesrob Mutafyan,
known for keeping his distance stance from Dink, which was not
unreciprocated, did not attend the service. Thus Sunday's sermon was
carried out by another priest of the church. The bi-lingual sermon
delivered in Turkish and Armenian mainly focused on the Bible and
the life of Christ and made no single mention of Dink.
Hrant Dink, the voice of freedom for Armenian society, was frequently
a target of criticism among some sections of Istanbul's conservative
Armenian community. Dink had troublesome relations with the Istanbul
Armenian Patriarchate, which severely reacted to Dink's unorthodox
views.
Meanwhile, Karekin II, the Patriarch of all Armenians, sent a letter
today to Archbishop Mutafyan, about the tragic assassination in
Istanbul yesterday of journalist Dink, editor of the "Agos" weekly
newspaper.
The message expressed sorrow over Dink's assassination. The
statement said: "All our people and we grieve the loss of yet another
intellectual who has become an innocent victim. In the strongest
of terms, we condemn this clandestine assassination which took from
our people a graceful and courageous son, who faithfully brought his
service with his pen for the love of a just, free and peaceful life
and better world. We also expect that the authorities of Turkey will
uncover and punish the individuals responsible for this crime to the
fullest extent of the law."
--Boundary_(ID_qjrwNkBRSwtLRDaSAbdipQ) --