AOL News
Sept 18 2010
Turkey Allows Mass at Ancient Armenian Church But Sows Anger
VAN, Turkey (Sept. 17) — For the first time in nearly a century,
Turkey will allow a Mass at a 10th-century Armenian Orthodox cathedral
in eastern Turkey, but the state’s failure to restore a cross atop the
building has soured the occasion for many Armenians.
Some 5,000 members of the Armenian diaspora are expected to descend
upon tiny Akdamar Island on Lake Van for Sunday’s Mass. The Turkish
government has portrayed the event as a gesture of religious tolerance
and rapprochement with Armenia, which is at odds with Turkey over the
classification of massacres carried out by Ottoman forces in the late
19th and early 20th centuries.
The Armenians claim Turks killed up to 1.5 million Armenians between
1915 and 1917 in a deliberate attempt to eradicate them as an ethnic
minority. Countries including France, Russia and Greece have
recognized the genocide, while the U.S. and Britain have not, in line
with Turkey’s position that the deaths were part of the events of
World War I. Ankara acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died
but says the deaths did not constitute genocide. It accuses the
Armenian population of working with foreign powers to try to bring
down the Ottoman Empire.
Against that background, Sunday’s Mass has great historical
significance. “This church is very important for Armenians, not only
in Turkey but across the world,” Archbishop Aram Ateshian, the
spiritual leader of Turkey’s surviving Armenian community, told
Reuters last month. “For decades, we could not say Mass or have a
religious service because it was forbidden by the government.”
Ateshian considers the Mass to be an important gesture from the
Turkish government, yet many other Armenians have condemned the event
and called for a boycott. Some see the Mass as an attempt by Turkey to
appear to be advancing the rights of its minorities in the eyes of the
international community while shunning real engagement with Armenia.
“We were the first to launch this initiative, order renovation and
issue permission for annual liturgies. It shows Turks’ tolerance,”
said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking about the
Mass.
Exacerbating the debate is the cross that once crowned the conical
dome of the historic Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Turkish authorities
initially said a cross would be installed in time for the service, but
now have reneged on the promise, to the outrage of Armenians.
The cross is thought to have been knocked off the top of the cathedral
in 1915, when it was looted and the surrounding monastic buildings
burned. In 2007, the cathedral was reopened as a state-owned museum
after undergoing an expensive renovation. It is one of the few
remaining examples of ancient Armenian architecture, and the Turkish
government wanted to preserve it as part of the country’s past.
But after the renovation, a cross was not put up, and several weeks
ago Ateshian was informed that its installation would be postponed
because of sensitivities surrounding last weekend’s referendum on
constitutional amendments proposed by the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP).
Later, the Armenian cleric said, he was told the cross would not go up
until sometime after the Mass, and local authorities said that it
weighed too much. “There is no date [for when the cross will be put
up]. One or two months, I don’t know,” Ateshian said in an interview
with AOL News in Istanbul.
Many Armenians, bound for Van with the expectation of seeing a cross
on top of the church, are offended by the delay. The Armenian Orthodox
Church in Yerevan, Armenia, has decided against sending two
representatives that had planned to be at the Mass.
Armenian journalist Karine Ter-Sahakian had planned to be at the Mass
with other Armenian intellectuals, but canceled her trip when she
heard the news.
“I think that a religious ceremony in a non-consecrated church goes
contrary to Christian values,” she said. “Moreover, Turkish
authorities did not install a cross on the dome of the church. Due to
these reasons, participation in the liturgy becomes a profanation.”
Despite the anger from neighboring Armenia, Ateshian has said he will
go ahead with the service. “Here is Turkey,” he said. “It is my
decision.” He said he hoped that after this first service, which will
be held with the cross placed on a wooden stand either inside or
outside of the church — there will be additional services during the
year.
“We will discuss two or three times a year to give Armenian tourists
the chance to pray there,” he said, an indication of the patience
necessary in negotiating the Turkish government’s stance toward
minority rights.
Ateshian said he had hope with the AKP’s stance, noting that the
governing party shares common ground with minorities despite tough
nationalist opposition.
“The AKP is trying to do their best. They are doing something,” he
said. “As they are a little bit of a religious party, they are close
to minorities and trying to do their best to give rights to us, but
they have opposition.”
From: A. Papazian
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/turkey-to-allow-mass-at-ancient-armenian-church/19637734