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ARMENIAN CHURCH OFFICIALS TO ATTEND SERVICE IN SE TURKEY
Hurriyet Daily News
Aug 13 2010
Turkey
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, headquarters of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, has officially been invited to a historic service
in Van by the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul. The See welcomed
the invitation and will send two clerics for the service on Sept. 19.
Bishop Sebouh Chouldjian, a patriarchal candidate in Istanbul, was
not invited, however
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Armenia-based spiritual and
administrative headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church, has
accepted an invitation from the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul to
attend a special mass on Van's Akdamar Island on Sept. 19.
The See will send at least two clerics to attend the service, in
addition to the clerics who will attend along with Deputy Istanbul
Patriarch and Archbishop Aram AteÅ~_yan.
Speaking Thursday to the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Bishop
Sebouh Chouldjian, primate of the Church's Diocese of Gougark in
northern Armenia, confirmed there would be attendance from Etchmiadzin.
Bishop Margos Srpazan and Father Gomidas will attend on behalf of the
See, according to Chouldjian, who is one of the most likely candidates
to be the next Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul.
Chouldjian, however, said he could not understand why he was not
invited despite being a patriarchal candidate.
"Etchmiadzin left the decision to me," said Chouldjian, who can
still attend if he chooses. "I will declare my decision to attend or
not several days before the service, without expecting any protocol
application from the Patriarchate if I do decide to attend on Sept.
19."
Explaining why only two clerics were attending from the See, Chouldjian
said it was "because Turkey's decision to allow one service a year
[on the island] is perceived as a political one."
Chouldjian stood for the election of deputy Istanbul patriarch after
Mesrop II became unable to fulfill his duties due to frontal dementia,
forcing the Armenian Apostolic Church in Istanbul to begin discussing
new leadership options.
Since the patriarch's illness, the Patriarchate and the rival
Initiating Committee have disagreed on how to fill left by Mesrop II
becoming incapacitated.
Finally, the Interior Ministry intervened after the disagreement
could not be overcome and stated that no election for the position
of patriarch could be held while Mesrop II is alive.
In response, the Divine Council of the Patriarchate made a snap
decision that was not announced publicly and assigned AteÅ~_yan as
deputy patriarch. The incident remains a point of debate.
Sarkisian's party discouraging Armenian participation at Akdamar
Meanwhile, Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty, or RFE-RL, reported on
Thursday that Armenian President Serge Sarkisian's Republican Party,
or HHK, spoke out against Armenian participation in the landmark
service to be held Akdamar Island's Surp Hac Church in the eastern
province of Van.
HHK spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov denounced the Turkish government's
decision to reopen the church for a one-day religious ceremony on
Sept. 19, calling it a publicity stunt and a "provocation" aimed at
misleading the international community.
"Once again, instead of taking a serious step, the Turks are staging
an imitation show," Sharmazanov told Radio Free Europe. "I don't think
you can achieve tolerance and solidarity of civilizations in that way."
Giro Manoyan from the opposition party Armenian Revolutionary
Federation, or Dashnaktsutyun, also spoke to RFE-RL and called on
Armenians to boycott the service.
"I don't want to blame believers willing to go there, but they must
know that they somewhat contribute to the Turkish provocation,"
he said.
In the same story, Father Vahram Melikian, a spokesman for Catholicos
of All Armenians Karekin II, said, "We believe that if we are given
an opportunity to cherish a shrine that had functioned for centuries
but is devoid of prayer today for some reason, we must use even that
single day in order to assert our rights and ownership of the shrine
with our participation."
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet Daily News
Aug 13 2010
Turkey
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, headquarters of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, has officially been invited to a historic service
in Van by the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul. The See welcomed
the invitation and will send two clerics for the service on Sept. 19.
Bishop Sebouh Chouldjian, a patriarchal candidate in Istanbul, was
not invited, however
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Armenia-based spiritual and
administrative headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church, has
accepted an invitation from the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul to
attend a special mass on Van's Akdamar Island on Sept. 19.
The See will send at least two clerics to attend the service, in
addition to the clerics who will attend along with Deputy Istanbul
Patriarch and Archbishop Aram AteÅ~_yan.
Speaking Thursday to the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Bishop
Sebouh Chouldjian, primate of the Church's Diocese of Gougark in
northern Armenia, confirmed there would be attendance from Etchmiadzin.
Bishop Margos Srpazan and Father Gomidas will attend on behalf of the
See, according to Chouldjian, who is one of the most likely candidates
to be the next Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul.
Chouldjian, however, said he could not understand why he was not
invited despite being a patriarchal candidate.
"Etchmiadzin left the decision to me," said Chouldjian, who can
still attend if he chooses. "I will declare my decision to attend or
not several days before the service, without expecting any protocol
application from the Patriarchate if I do decide to attend on Sept.
19."
Explaining why only two clerics were attending from the See, Chouldjian
said it was "because Turkey's decision to allow one service a year
[on the island] is perceived as a political one."
Chouldjian stood for the election of deputy Istanbul patriarch after
Mesrop II became unable to fulfill his duties due to frontal dementia,
forcing the Armenian Apostolic Church in Istanbul to begin discussing
new leadership options.
Since the patriarch's illness, the Patriarchate and the rival
Initiating Committee have disagreed on how to fill left by Mesrop II
becoming incapacitated.
Finally, the Interior Ministry intervened after the disagreement
could not be overcome and stated that no election for the position
of patriarch could be held while Mesrop II is alive.
In response, the Divine Council of the Patriarchate made a snap
decision that was not announced publicly and assigned AteÅ~_yan as
deputy patriarch. The incident remains a point of debate.
Sarkisian's party discouraging Armenian participation at Akdamar
Meanwhile, Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty, or RFE-RL, reported on
Thursday that Armenian President Serge Sarkisian's Republican Party,
or HHK, spoke out against Armenian participation in the landmark
service to be held Akdamar Island's Surp Hac Church in the eastern
province of Van.
HHK spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov denounced the Turkish government's
decision to reopen the church for a one-day religious ceremony on
Sept. 19, calling it a publicity stunt and a "provocation" aimed at
misleading the international community.
"Once again, instead of taking a serious step, the Turks are staging
an imitation show," Sharmazanov told Radio Free Europe. "I don't think
you can achieve tolerance and solidarity of civilizations in that way."
Giro Manoyan from the opposition party Armenian Revolutionary
Federation, or Dashnaktsutyun, also spoke to RFE-RL and called on
Armenians to boycott the service.
"I don't want to blame believers willing to go there, but they must
know that they somewhat contribute to the Turkish provocation,"
he said.
In the same story, Father Vahram Melikian, a spokesman for Catholicos
of All Armenians Karekin II, said, "We believe that if we are given
an opportunity to cherish a shrine that had functioned for centuries
but is devoid of prayer today for some reason, we must use even that
single day in order to assert our rights and ownership of the shrine
with our participation."
From: A. Papazian