Month: June 2005

LRAPER Church Bulletin
Contact: Deacon Vagarsag Seropyan
Armenian Patriarchate
TR-34130 Kumkapi, Istanbul
T: +90 (212) 517-0970
F: +90 (212) 516-4833
[email protected]
PATRIARCH’S NAME AND BIRTH DAYS CELEBRATED
16 June 2005, Thursday, Feast of the Holy Translators: Saints Sahag and
Mesrob, the traditional name day for all Armenians bearing the names Sahag,
Mesrob and Mashdots, was also the day when His Beatitude Mesrob II, Armenian
Patriarch of Istanbul and All Turkey, completed his 49th year of age.
A reception was held in the garden of the Patriarchate between 20:00 and
23:00 hours, with 300 guests attending, mostly hieromonks, priests, deacons,
acolytes, teachers, members of church youth groups and community leaders who
had all attended His Beatitude’s Bible Study and spirituality classes during
his 26 years of ministry as priest and bishop.
Also celebrating their birthdays at the reception were Dr. Araik Sargsyan of
the Armenian Academy of Sciences; Attorney Luiz Bakar, the press
spokesperson of the Patriarchate; Srpuhi Bilalyan, Armenian language teacher
at the Kalfayan community school; Kegham Erzrumluyan, member of the PTA
Board at the Sahakyan Parish School in Samatya.
Celebrating their name day together with the Patriarch were the Very Revd.
Fr. Sahag Mashalian, hieromonk and Vice-Chairman of the Patriarchal
Spiritual Council; the Revd. Fr. Mashdots Kalpakciyan, Pastor of the Surp
Hripsime Church in Buyukdere; Deacon Sahag Bicakciyan of the Turkish Bible
Society, serving at St. John the Evangelist Armenian Church in Narlikapi;
and Mesrob Yildirimyan, a second grade student at the Bezciyan Parish School
in Kumkapi.
The reception soon became a celebration of Armenian faith and culture when
numerous guests spontaneously joined in singing, in unison and a capella,
Armenian hymns and traditional songs for nearly an hour. A cranberry cake
was ushered in which was cut by all those celebrating their name and
birthdays.

LRAPER Church Bulletin
Contact: Deacon Vagarsag Seropyan
Armenian Patriarchate
TR-34130 Kumkapi, Istanbul
T: +90 (212) 517-0970
F: +90 (212) 516-4833
[email protected]
PILGRIMAGE TO KAYSERI
The annual pilgrimage to the Armenian Church of Saint Gregory the
Illuminator in Kayseri (Caesarea Cappadocia) was held on 18 and 19 June
2005. His Beatýtude Mesrob II, Armenian Patriarch of Ýstanbul and All
Turkey, led the pilgrimage, accompanied by the Revd. Fathers John Whooley,
Myuron Ayvazyan, Kevork Cinaryan, Drtad Uzunyan and Deacon Sahag Bicakciyan.
His Beatitude the Patriarch travelled to Kayseri by plane, and after a short
rest at the Kayseri Airport lounge, he proceeded together with his entourage
to the Kayseri Armenian Church where he prayed for the spiritual benefits of
the pilgrimage.
By noon, two other groups from Ýstanbul arrived in Kayseri by bus, led by
the Very Revd. Fr. Yeghishe Uchkunyan. The Liturgy of the Word was
celebrated at 13:00 hours, following which the pilgrims travelled to Mt.
Erciyes for lunch.
His Beatitude went to the Kayseri Municipal Cemetery in order to visit the
tombs of Muharrem and Gungor Buyukmihci, a benevolent Moslem couple that he
had known for many years and who passed on, one after the other, during the
last year. The Patriarch remembered their benevolent Works and prayed for
the repose of their souls.
Patriarch Mesrob, together with his entourage, was then escorted to Taksan,
a large plant owned by the Buyukmihci family in the Incesu district outside
the city of Kayseri. Following the tour of the impressive plant which
produces machine parts to 22 foreign countries, the Patriarch and his
company were treated to a meal in the picturesque garden of a villa owned by
businessman Ahmet Buyukmihci. Having sampled the delicious Kayseri cuisine,
the Patriarch thanked the Buyukmihci family for their warm hospitality.
The Patriarch and his entourage then visited the town of Develi (formerly
Everek), where they visited the Saint Toros Armenian Church (now Fatih
Mosque) and the old Armenian Quarter. The group continued its journey in the
vicinity of Mt Erciyes, passing through the districts of Talas and Hisarcik,
and finally arriving at the Hilton where some of the pilgrims were to stay
overnight.
DIVINE LITURGY IN KAYSERI
On Sunday, 19 June 2005, the second day of the pilgrimage to Kayseri, His
Beatitude the Patriarch presided over the divine services in the Armenian
Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. The Holy Eucharist was offered by
the Very Revd. Fr. Yeghishe Uchkunyan. Altar servers were Deacon Sahag
Bicakciyan, Sub-deacon Levon Kuyumcuyan and two acolytes. Participating in
the Liturgy were 110 pilgrims from Istanbul, Musadagh, Adana, Sivas and
Canada.
Delivering his homily in the second part of the Liturgy, the Patriarch
analysed the historic events leading to the conversion of the Armenian court
at the beginning of the fourth century from a spiritual perspective.
Mentioning the passion of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, the tortures he had
to endure and his imprisonment in an underground pit, the Patriarch
commented that Satan always seeks to destroy the good seeds planted by men
of God. In the Parable of the Tares, we see that Satan seeks to destroy the
good seed which has been planted in the hearts of those who have heard God’s
word. The image the Lord Jesus uses in the parable is a common everyday
example of planting, harvesting, and sorting the good fruit from the bad.
Weeds can spoil and even kill a good harvest if they are not separated and
destroyed at the proper time. On the other hand, uprooting them too early
can destroy the good work and the good plants in the process. Just like
Saint Gregory, His Beatitude exhorted that, we, too, must often continue our
work, mission and ministry despite evil attacks from Satan and his
representatives. God’s patience teaches us to guard the word he has planted
in our hearts and to beware of the destructive force of sin and evil which
can destroy it. In the end, God will reward each according to what they have
sown and reaped in this life. In that day, we believe that God will separate
the evil from the good.
The Service for the Repose of Souls followed, with the former Primate of the
Diocese of Caesarea Cappadocia, Bishop Drtad Balyan of blessed memory, and
the deceased members of the Kayseri Armenian community being commemorated.
The luncheon after the Divine Services, a generous gift of businessman Ahmet
Buyukmihci, blessed by His Beatitude, was then held in the courtyard of the
church. The final event was a visit to the Armenian cemetery in Kayseri,
following which most of the pilgrims returned by coach or car to their
respective cities.
His Beatitude the Patriarch, answering questions posed by press reporters,
spoke as follows: `This is an annual pilgrimage that we undertake every year
to this church which is a holy site for the Armenian people. It was in this
city that the second founder of the Armenian Church, Saint Gregory the
Illuminator, grew as a child in grace, studied the Holy Scriptures and
theology in the famous school of Caesarea, married, had two sons, and later,
after healing King Drtad, was ordained Bishop of Armenia Major by Archbisop
Leontius of Caesarea. This church, first built in the 11th century by
Armenians who had come from Ani, commemorates these events in the formative
period of our hierarchy as we know it today. Every Divine Liturgy celebrated
here is an occasion to remember these historic events in the life of our
Church, in situ, thank the Almighty Lord for His blessings, and to pray for
peace in our community, our country, our region and in the world. In prayer,
I am particularly reminded of all the soldiers who are mostly involuntarily
engaged in war in our region and in various corners of the world. They are
sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers to numerous
families. I pray for the safety of all soldiers. I pray for an end to these
armed conflicts and violence. I pray for peace. `
Later in the afternoon, the Patriarch, with his entourage, visited the
Archaeological Museum in Kayseri, the Covered Bazaar, the Beshtepe Hill Park
opposite Mt. Erciyes, thence travelling to and arriving in Istanbul just
before Sunday midnight.

A1plus
| 20:08:12 | 22-06-2005 | Politics | PACE SUMMER SESSION 2005 |
GEORGIA AND AZERBAIJAN JOINED AGAINST RUSSIA
The issue of ousting the Russian military forces from Georgia is included
into the process of honoring of obligations and commitments by the Russian
Federation. Member of the Azeri delegation Molazade represented offers about
the changing this issue.
«The Russian Federation ousts the military forces from Georgia but not from
the region. It means that in the region a re-distribution of powers will
take place as Russia will remove the forces to Armenia», mentioned Mr.
Molazade. The member of the Azeri delegation demanded the PACE to make RF
remove the forces from the region at all instead of removing them to
Armenia. The offer of Molazade was turned down.
The Georgian delegation insisted on the offer of Molazade. And the Russian
side advised them not the use the situation for their aims and not to forget
that the PACE is an advisory body.

A1plus
| 18:23:48 | 22-06-2005 | Politics |
TOROSYAN CHEATED SADOYAN
Today NA deputy Arshak Sadoyan repeated once more that the deputy speaker of
the Parliament hindered his meeting with the Venice Commission members.
According to Sadoyan, Torosyan took steps not suitable to a decent political
body.
«At the beginning they told me I could not meet them as the protocol of the
delegation consist of only 1 day. Then it turned out that the protocol
consists of not 1 but two days, and it has been written by Tigran Torosyan»m
complained Arshak Sadoyan.
Today he rendered a press conference to inform that they have sent a packet
consisting of 64 offers to the Venice Commission and that the packet has
already arrived. But Arshak Sadoyan who has his own draft constitution
considers that the people who serve the personal profits of the authorities
are not able to realize real constitutional reforms.
«If the authorities continue to cheat people every day and try to adopt
their draft by a referendum, we well call everyone to vote against the
draft, and with this the process of expressing our non-confidence to the
President will start», said Arshak Sadoyan. He also added that in case of
this scenario the authorities will bear the whole responsibility of the
unpredictable course of events.

A1plus
| 16:44:50 | 22-06-2005 | Politics | PACE SUMMER SESSION 2005 |
GEORGIA BLAMED RUSSIA
«I am worried especially by the absence of free and independent Mass Media
in Russia as the existing ones represent their neighbors as terrorists.
Georgia has never been a terrorist country», mentioned member of the
Georgian delegation to CoE Mrs. Telderadze during the discussions of the
issue of Honoring of obligations and commitments by the Russian Federation.
She mentioned that she is glad for the decision of ousting the Russian
military bases from Georgia and announced that the decision must be executed
as soon as possible. Mrs. Telderadze also blamed the Russian Federation for
refusing the offer of Georgia of joint control of the Russian-Georgian
borders and called the RF to be more tolerant towards its neighbors.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus
| 16:20:11 | 22-06-2005 | Politics | PACE SUMMER SESSION 2005 |
`RUSSIA IS NOT A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY’, MENTIONED DAVID ATKINSON
Today PACE continued the discussions of the issue of Honoring of obligations
and commitments by the Russian Federation. The main reporter of the issue
was David Atkinson.
41 delegates are to make speech. `In 1996 the Russian Federation ratified
the historical document according to which he took up a number of
commitments before the CoE, but today the RF cannot be considered a
democratic country’, mentioned Mr. Atkinson at the beginning of his report.
The main reporter mentioned that in the Russian Federation democratic
elections did not take place, the Mass Media is under the control of the
authorities, death penalty has not been eliminated, there are numerous case
of suicide in the army, there is no alternative military service, the RF has
problems with Moldova, Georgia and, which is most important, with Chechnya.
Those who made speech usually referred to the Chechnya problem and reminded
Russia that according to the commitments it has to show humanitarian
attitude towards Chechnya.
The members of the Polish delegation found the issue important proceeding
from the fact that Russia is their neighbor, but expressed their complaint
that the RF does not follow democratic standards, especially in issues
referring to elections and freedom of speech.
The members of the Russian delegation reminded in their speeches that they
are the nation which freed half of Europe from the fascists and they are
part of Europe and as time goes by they will meet all the commitments taken
upon.
By the way, during the discussion of this issue not all the members of the
Azeri delegation were in the hall.

A1plus
| 18:42:01 | 22-06-2005 | Official |
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ARMENIA
Today the delegation of the Kingdom of Norway Parliament President Jorgen
Kosmo visited Armenia for the first time. The delegation has already met
with the members of the National Assembly and the Government.
RA NA deputy President Vahan Hovhannisyan, referring to the regional
problems, reminded that the absence of diplomatic relations with Turkey, the
blockade of Armenia and the conflicts with Azerbaijan have one root – the
1915 Armenian Genocide, and the Norwegians who know well enough the price of
freedom and civilization, can understand the people of Nagorno Karabakh and
their struggle for independence. The NA deputy Minister mentioned that
Armenia will not mind Turkey’s integration into the EU if Turkey becomes a
fully European country.
During the meeting in the RA Government Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
thanked them for the activity of the Armenian office of the Norwegian
Council on Refugee affairs, thanks to which since 1988 in almost all the
regions of Armenia hundreds of houses, medical centers, community centers,
etc, have been built for the victims of the earthquake.
The Prime Minister also expressed the concern of the Armenian side about the
continuity of the activity of the Norwegian Council in Armenia, according to
which in 2005 10-12 million USD will be allotted to the realization of aid
programs in our country

A1plus
18:30:33 | 22-06-2005 | Official |
MEETING IN KREMLIN
RA President Robert Kocharyan who arrived in Moscow this morning to take
part in the usual session of the Joint Security Agreement Organization
Council met RF President Vladimir Putin in Kremlin.
The Presidents discussed the relations of the two countries. In particular,
they spoke about the course of realization of the agreements made in spring
in Yerevan, about investment programs and power problems.
A reference has also been made to the events devoted to the Russian year in
Armenia, in connection with which President Putin said that they are held a
t a very high level.
Robert Kocharyan in his turn said that the processing of the program of
events devoted to the Armenian year in Russia in 2006 is under way.
Tomorrow Robert Kocharyan will take part in the Joint Security Agreement
Organization Council session. In Moscow he will also meet the Armenian
students to discuss their problems.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus
| 18:15:50 | 22-06-2005 | Politics |
REVELATIONS OF ARSHAK SADOYAN
Arshak Sadoyan rendered a press conference today. He reconfirmed that the
Parliamentary elections in Artsakh were democratic, transparent and without
important violations. According to him, the violations were small ones and
he wishes there were suchlike elections in Armenia too.
One of the violations, according to Sadoyan, was that the people were not
informed about the proportional elections. «Very often they asked what the
second ballot was for if three names were written on it. We explained that
with this they elected the party, not an individual», said the NA deputy.
According to Arshak Sadoyan, the members of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Vahan Hovhannisyan and Kiro Manoyan had left for Artsakh and
demanded the local authorities to give room to their party. «And Arkadi
Ghoukasyan told them that if they could gain votes, it would be the only
variant to have room, and if they did not, they would do no violations»,
revealed the NA deputy Arshak Sadoyan at the end of the press conference.

A1plus
| 21:56:47 | 22-06-2005 | Politics | PACE SUMMER SESSION 2005 |
ANDREAS GROSS IS SUSPICIOUS ABOUT THE ANNOUNCEMENTS OF SAMED SEYIDOV
The reporters about the activity of the democratic institutions in
Azerbaijan and political prisoners concluded the discussion of the issue
rather categorically.
In answer to the Azeri delegation head Samed Seyidov’s announcement that the
coming elections will be organized according to the democratic standards,
the main reporters Andreas Gross said, «In contrast to you, Mr. Seyidov, I
am not sure, but I hope that the coming Parliamentary elections in
Azerbaijan will be organized according to the democratic standards. As for
HOW – I do not know».
As for speeches of the Azeri delegation members about the setting free of
political prisoners, Mr. Gross invited attention to the fact, that the
famous political bodies who have been set free cannot take part in the
elections as deputies, and a number of political prisoners are still in
prison.