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ARMENIAN PONTIFF SHOWS HUMBLE SIDE DURING BOCA VISIT
By Lona O'Connor
Palm Beach Post, FL
Oct 16 2007
BOCA RATON - The Supreme Patriarch was late. Adult church members of
St. David's Armenian Church began to roll their eyes and talk about
"Armenian time," which is elastic. The children, all dressed up for
the Patriarch, Karekin II, were allowed to eat their pizza before
meeting his Holiness. Children with full stomachs can forgive a lot.
Fortified by their pizza and juice, they were happily waving Armenian,
American and purple flags emblazoned with the patriarch's gold insignia
when he finally arrived this evening.
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, can be excused for his tardiness. He is in the middle of
visiting 18 U.S. cities in 28 days. So far, he has led the U.S.
Congress in prayer, met with influential Armenian Americans and
other high-powered activities befitting the spiritual leader of seven
million Armenians worldwide.
Yet he chose to spend an hour talking to about 50 children at
St. David's, listening to them sing the Armenian and American national
anthems and smiling upon a girl in traditional dress who recited a
poem in Armenian.
"It shows us how humble a personality he has, how wonderful a character
he is," said Father Nareg Berberian, pastor of St. David's Armenian
Church, who was part of the south Florida group hosting the pontiff
in south Florida.
The pontiff, gray-haired, bearded and wearing the pointed black capelet
symbolizing celibacy, serves as the visible symbol of the Armenian
people and their plight over the last century. The defining event
in the history of this small nation is the killing of 1.5 million
Armenians by Turkish soldiers in 1915. Karekin's prayer before the
Congress happened on Wednesday, the day of a controversial resolution
that seeks to label the massacre as a genocide. Lobbyists for the
Turkish government strove to halt the resolution, a major embarrassment
to Turkey, a key ally of the United States in the Iraq war. But on
Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the resolution
and sent it to the full House for a vote sometime in November.
Another task on Karekin's visit is to consolidate support for the
rebuilding of the Armenian social structure, which is recovering
from its years under the Soviet Union, when the number of Armenian
churches and clergy decreased drastically. Since his Holiness' tenure
began in 1999, the Armenian Church has opened dozens of churches as
well as orphanages, soup kitchens, hospitals and youth centers. He
has also led a Habitat for Humanity program in Armenia.
His other task is to lead the strengthening of family values in
Armenians all over the world. Hence, the pizza party. Then he returned
to his more formal role, at a service at St. David that includes 20
local religious leaders: Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Russian Orthodox
and Buddhist, to name a few.
About one million Armenians live in the United States, with about
15,000 of those in south Florida. Tuesday the Armenian pontiff
travels to St. Mary Armenian Church in Hollywood, where he will bless
traditional Armenian stone crosses on the church altar. Then he travels
to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La., Dallas and cities in the Midwest.
By Lona O'Connor
Palm Beach Post, FL
Oct 16 2007
BOCA RATON - The Supreme Patriarch was late. Adult church members of
St. David's Armenian Church began to roll their eyes and talk about
"Armenian time," which is elastic. The children, all dressed up for
the Patriarch, Karekin II, were allowed to eat their pizza before
meeting his Holiness. Children with full stomachs can forgive a lot.
Fortified by their pizza and juice, they were happily waving Armenian,
American and purple flags emblazoned with the patriarch's gold insignia
when he finally arrived this evening.
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, can be excused for his tardiness. He is in the middle of
visiting 18 U.S. cities in 28 days. So far, he has led the U.S.
Congress in prayer, met with influential Armenian Americans and
other high-powered activities befitting the spiritual leader of seven
million Armenians worldwide.
Yet he chose to spend an hour talking to about 50 children at
St. David's, listening to them sing the Armenian and American national
anthems and smiling upon a girl in traditional dress who recited a
poem in Armenian.
"It shows us how humble a personality he has, how wonderful a character
he is," said Father Nareg Berberian, pastor of St. David's Armenian
Church, who was part of the south Florida group hosting the pontiff
in south Florida.
The pontiff, gray-haired, bearded and wearing the pointed black capelet
symbolizing celibacy, serves as the visible symbol of the Armenian
people and their plight over the last century. The defining event
in the history of this small nation is the killing of 1.5 million
Armenians by Turkish soldiers in 1915. Karekin's prayer before the
Congress happened on Wednesday, the day of a controversial resolution
that seeks to label the massacre as a genocide. Lobbyists for the
Turkish government strove to halt the resolution, a major embarrassment
to Turkey, a key ally of the United States in the Iraq war. But on
Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the resolution
and sent it to the full House for a vote sometime in November.
Another task on Karekin's visit is to consolidate support for the
rebuilding of the Armenian social structure, which is recovering
from its years under the Soviet Union, when the number of Armenian
churches and clergy decreased drastically. Since his Holiness' tenure
began in 1999, the Armenian Church has opened dozens of churches as
well as orphanages, soup kitchens, hospitals and youth centers. He
has also led a Habitat for Humanity program in Armenia.
His other task is to lead the strengthening of family values in
Armenians all over the world. Hence, the pizza party. Then he returned
to his more formal role, at a service at St. David that includes 20
local religious leaders: Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Russian Orthodox
and Buddhist, to name a few.
About one million Armenians live in the United States, with about
15,000 of those in south Florida. Tuesday the Armenian pontiff
travels to St. Mary Armenian Church in Hollywood, where he will bless
traditional Armenian stone crosses on the church altar. Then he travels
to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La., Dallas and cities in the Midwest.