PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
CALLS FOR THE RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Meeting in Geneva, the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches
called for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The statement says:
“Sunday April 24, 2005 will be the 90 years Commemoration of the Armenian
Genocide, the tragic massacre of one-and-a-half million Armenians in Turkey
and the deportation of another million from their homeland.
The world Council of Churches has on different occasions addressed the need
for public recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the necessity of Turkey
to deal with this dark part of its history. The importance of Turkey
evaluating its history has recently also been addressed by the Conference of
European Churches relating to Turkey’s relation to the European Union.
>From the Christian perspective, the path towards justice and reconciliation
requires the recognition of the crime committed as a sine qua non condition
for the healing of memories and the possibility of forgiveness. Forgiveness
does not mean forgetting but to look back with the intention to restore
justice, the respect for Human Rights and relationships between perpetrators
and victims.
The Public Committee recommends to the General Secretary and the staff, to
propose to all member churches to make Sunday April 24 a day of memorial of
the Armenian Genocide and to consider further appropriate actions related to
the 90 years Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.
In a different statement on the International Criminal Court, the Central
Committee said:
“Human History is filled with examples of horrendous cruelties, aggressions
and inhumanities. In just 20th Century there are four recognized genocides –
90 years ago the Armenian genocide, 60 years ago the Holocaust, nearly 30
years ago the Khmer Rouge and the most recent genocide in Rwanda, a little
more than 10 years ago. There were very different ways of addressing these
horrific crimes: there was no consequence for the Armenian genocide, the
victors justice in the Nuremberg trail for the Nazi war criminals, a failed
local response with UN support to the Khmer Rouge and the ad-hoc
International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda”.
It also called to “address issues such as impunity and accountability” to
prevent future crimes against humanity.
164 voting members are participating in this meeting of the Central
Committee together with more than 100 advisors, consultants and
representatives from Vatican and International Organisations. His Holiness
Aram I Catholicos of Cilicia is the Moderator of the Central Committee since
1991.
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The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.