Author: Emil Lazarian

JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH OPENS IN YEREVAN
05.04.2005 05:30
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Jazz Appreciation Month opens in Armenia April 8,
the Press Service of the U.S. Embassy in Armenia reported. Armenia’s
favorite jazz artists will take center stage for a series of concerts,
as well as the Otar Magradze Trio from Tbilisi will perform. The
Franck Amsallem Quartet, with guest vocalist Sara Lazarus will hold the
final concert of this year’s festival. Besides, within the framework
of the festival film screenings about jazz will be held.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
Haigazian University
Rue Mexique – Kantari
P.O. Box 11-1748
Riad El-Solh 1107 2090
Beirut – Lebanon
George Apelian presents his new book “A Life-Sentence of Martyrdom”
in a ceremony at Haigazian University
Mr. George Apelian, writer and author of two books, “Helé Helé
Kessab” and “A Bride Named Anna,” presented his most recent work,
“A Life-Sentence of Martyrdom,” during a book signing ceremony which
took place at Haigazian University, on April 3, 2005, at 6:00 p.m. in
the University Auditorium.
The University’s Public Relations Director, Mrs. Mira Yardemian,
started the ceremony with a note of welcome, and invited the audience
to consider Apelian’s work a commemoration of the Armenian Genocide
and its 1.5 million martyrs.
The President of the University, the Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian,
addressed the audience with satisfaction at the publication of this
new book, noting that the author is a Haigazian alumnus. Moreover,
Haidostian emphasized that this book could also be entitled, “A
Life-Sentence of Faith, Service and Growth,” due to its endeavor to
preserve Armenian identity.
After a reading by Mrs. Tsoler Manisadjian of some moving passages
from the book, Miss Narine Boulghourdjian then introduced the author,
highlighting his social, educational and cultural contributions to
the Armenian community.
On behalf of the “Moussa Ler” Compatriotic Union, Mr. Yessayi Havatian
delivered a short speech in which he considered the work: unique in
its kind, interesting, and written with a strong Armenian spirit.
Moreover, he emphasized that the book can be used as a documentary
source to retrieve information on survivors of the Genocide. ”
‘A Life-Sentence of Martyrdom’ is the glory of the Armenian people,
because in it Armenians don’t die; instead they meet, unite and build
new families. In the book we witness the overcoming of the Armenian
Genocide,” noted Havatian.
To close the ceremony, the author, Mr. George Apelian, shared his
heartfelt words with the audience, stating that it was a privilege for
him to return to Haigazian University, 41 years after his graduation,
and present his work to the public.
Apelian expressed his deep gratitude that the publication of his
book coincided with the Armenian Genocide’s 90th anniversary, the
1600th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian alphabet, and the
fiftieth anniversary of Haigazian University.
Apelian concluded his speech by sharing with the audience the inner
drive that moved him to write his book: “It was in order to perpetuate
the memory of a few survivors, to reveal the pains and sorrows of a
few orphans, and to honor the struggle of a few mothers, that I wrote
this book,” Apelian modestly noted.
After the ceremony, the audience gathered in the University’s Arthur
Matossian Gallery amid animated conversation, while the author signed
copies of his new book.
–Boundary_(ID_asfZmzhjiLmEApjJHIdbqA)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PATRIARCH OF TURKEY EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES TO HOLY SEE OF ROME
ISTANBUL, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. His Beatitude Mesrob II, Armenian
Patriarch of Istanbul and All Turkey, addressed a letter of condolences
to His Eminence Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, Camerlengo of the
Holy See of Rome, Lraper Church Bulletin of the Armenian Patriarchate
of Istanbul reported. The following is the Patriarch’s letter:
“It is with profoundly deep sentiments of sympathy that I write
to you these humble words of cordial condolences, on the passing
of His Holiness Pope John Paul II, the Holy Father, the `Papa’ of
countless numbers of Christians all over the globe, Roman Catholic or
not. It is impossible for me, as a person, and as a junior brother
of his in the episcopate, to forget the many encounters with him
and the opportunities we had to pray together. His visit to Turkey,
and the Armenian Patriarchal See of Istanbul, in November 1979,
will never be forgotten by our faithful. The Holy Father leaves
a grand legacy of selfless faith in God, of effective witness to
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, of peace-making amongst nations,
of dialogue and reconciliation between Christian denominations and
other religions, of upholding morality and justice for all peoples
in this age and time. We, in the Armenian Church, feel very close
at this time of Paschal mystery to our brother bishops in the Roman
Catholic Church and to all Roman Catholic brothers and sisters in the
world, at the passing of this great Christian Pastor. This morning,
on the Second Sunday of the Quinquagesima, I presided over the Divine
Liturgy in the Holy Mother-of-God Patriarchal Church here in Kumkapi,
Istanbul, to pray for the repose of the soul of Pope John Paul II –
a beloved and loyal friend of the Armenian Church and people. May he
rest in peace. In the Risen Lord, Mesrob II Armenian Patriarch of
Istanbul and All Turkey” Patriarch Mesrob sent letters likewise to
Their Eminences Cardinal Angelo Sodano (former Secretary of State of
the Holy See of Rome), Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (former Prefect of
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith), Cardinal Walter Kasper
(former Prefect of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity) and His
Excellency Archbishop Edmund Farhad, Nuncio of the Holy See in Ankara.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRODUCTION OF 195 MLN DOLLARS MANUFACTURED IN ARMENIA IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
YEREVAN, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. In the period of January and February
of 2005, industrial production of about 91 bln 808.1 mln drams
(about 195 mln USD) was manufactured in the country, while sales
made about 92 bln 179.3 mln drams. Goods of 6 bln 304.7 mln drams
was sold in the CIS countries, those of 22 bln 424.8 mln drams – in
other countries. The volume of the industrial production in February,
2005, increased 5.7% compared with the same month in 2004. According
to the RA National Statistical Service, in the indicated period, the
processing industry accounted for 55.5% of the industrial production,
production and distribution of electricity, gas and water – for 23.3%,
and mining industry – 21.2%.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Iran bishop expects big turnout for Pope farewell
Deepika, India
Tuesday, April 5, 2005
TEHRAN, Apr 4 (Reuters) In Iran, where the ancient Chaldean Catholic
community is dwarfed by the Muslim majority, Tehran’s church leader
expect a big turnout as the faithful say farewell to Pope John Paul
on Friday.
Tehran’s Chaldean Archbishop Ramzi Garmou says it is often difficult
to get his dwindling flock to mass on Sundays, a working day in Iran.
But on Friday — as the Pontiff’s funeral Mass is being celebrated
on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica — Garmou expects Catholics to
pour into St. Joseph’s church in Tehran.
”People knew him, perhaps more than any pope before,” Garmou told
Reuters today, when asked what the Pontiff meant to Iran’s Chaldeans,
whose fast-emigrating community now numbers only around 8,000.
”I have received many calls offering condolences and asking about
the mass,” he said.
Garmou stressed the antiquity of Iran’s Christians, quoting accounts
of the apostle Saint Thomas spreading Christianity to Persia in the
first century.
Most of Iran’s Christians belong to the Armenian church which is some
100,000 strong. Most Chaldeans live in Iraq.
Chaldeans have emigrated from Iran in droves since the 1979 Islamic
revolution, mainly to Europe and the United States.
Garmou said they were driven by economic factors and fears about the
geopolitical situation in West Asia.
Christian communities are permitted to worship freely in Iran, with
around 67 million Muslims, but are banned from proselytizing

TRAINING COURSES TO BE HELD IN PROVINCES TO APPLY NATIONAL GUIDELINE FOR
MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH VENEREAL DISEASES
ArmenPress
April 4
YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS: Three-day training courses will be held
in all Armenian provinces to help local medical personnel apply the
first national guideline for management of patients with venereal
diseases. The trainings are intended not only for narrow circle of
specialists but also for doctors delivering primary health services,
especially for family doctors and the personnel of rural medical posts.
The program is implemented by Academy of Educational Development
(AED) and funded by USAID. It will launch in Armavir and Ashtarak
provinces April 4.
According to the head of the AED Anush Yedigarian, the aim of the
program is to involve the doctors delivering primary health services
in identifying and treating sexually transmitted diseases.
Some 400 doctors delivering primary health services are supposed to
be involved in the program.
Seventeen doctors from Armenian Health Ministry’s Dermatology and
Venereal Diseases Medical Center will conduct the courses. The
participants will get certificates.
The Health Minister has already signed a special order that details
the process of the guideline’s introduction.
According to the Dermatology and Venereal Diseases Medical Center,
28,931 instances of venereal diseases were reported last year in
Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TIGRAN SARGSIAN APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF INTERNATIONAL BANK COUNCIL
04.04.2005 07:03
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Last Friday the Council of the International
Bank founded by the CIS member-states elected Armenian Central Bank
President Tigran Sargsian the chairman of the Council, the statement
issued upon completion of the sitting says. Heads and representatives
of the Central Banks of the founder-states – Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine – took part in
the sitting of the council. The Council considered the activities of
the bank in 2004, confirmed the annual balance sheet, the report on
profits and losses, etc.

Demonstrators in Georgia rally against Russian military’s withdrawal
.c The Associated Press
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in Georgian
cities Thursday to protest the withdrawal of Russian military bases
which the government wants closed.
During a protest in the southern city of Akhalkalaki, some 700 people
urged President Mikhail Saakashvili’s government to reconsider its
push for a quick pullout of the Russian base there, saying that its
closure would leave most local residents without jobs.
Saakashvili has promised to create other jobs, but protesters on
Thursday urged the government to do that before the base’s removal.
About 200 protesters gathered in the Black Sea port of Batumi, where
the second Russian base is located. They also protested the pullout,
and urged the government to improve relations with Moscow.
Georgia and Russia have been sparring over the timetable for
withdrawal. The small former Soviet republic wants the troops out
within two years, while Moscow insists it needs at least four years to
complete the job.
03/31/05 08:30 EST
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
April 3, 2005
Catholicos of All Armenians Extends Sympathies on Death of Pope John Paul II
On April 3, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, sent a
letter of condolence on behalf of the worldwide Armenian Church to the
Vatican, wherein he extended his sympathies to the Roman Catholic Church,
her clergy and faithful, on the death of His Holiness Pope John Paul II.
(The text of His Holiness Karekin II’s letter appears at the end of this
release in its entirety.)
In 2001, at the invitation of His Holiness Karekin II on the occasion of the
1,700th Anniversary of the Great Conversion of the Armenians, His Holiness
John Paul II was the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church to travel to
Armenia for a fraternal visit. Pope John Paul II was also the first head of
the Catholic Church to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide and
condemn the tragic events which befell the Armenians in the final days of
the Ottoman Empire.
The same afternoon, following Divine Liturgy in the Mother Cathedral of Holy
Etchmiadzin, the Pontiff of All Armenians presided during a special Requiem
Service offered for the repose of the soul of His Holiness John Paul II.
Prior to the service, His Holiness Karekin II stated in part, “.Today in our
Mother Cathedral we offer our prayers to heaven, commiserating with our
sorrowful brothers and sisters of the Catholic Church. We ask God to
receive the soul of our dear Brother in Christ in His eternal kingdom with
loving mercy and grant him rest. The passing of Pope John Paul II is truly
a great loss for the world. He was an untiring preacher of peace and
defender of Christian moral values. His Holiness’ desires and efforts were
renowned, aimed at reconciliation, cooperation and mutual understanding
between nations, peoples and states.”
In attendance for the Divine Liturgy and Requiem Service were high-ranking
bishops and priests of the Armenian Church, Polish Ambassador and Mrs.
Tomasz Knothe, and staff of the Polish Embassy.
* * *
His Eminence Eduardo Cardinal Martinez Somalo
Cardinal Chamberlain
Vatican City
Your Eminence,
It is with a heavy heart that we write this letter, having learned of the
death of our Brother in Christ, His Holiness John Paul II, Pope of the Roman
Catholic Church. On behalf of the worldwide Armenian Church and people, we
convey our sentiments of deep sympathy and consolation to our sister Roman
Catholic Church, and all of your clergymen and faithful.
Before the Holy Altar of Descent in the Mother Cathedral of Holy
Etchmiadzin, we offer our solemn prayers up to God, asking for the repose of
his soul. His Holiness’ death is a great loss for all of Christendom. May
the Almighty bring solace to his pious and faithful flock.
We fondly recall our meeting with His Holiness in the Vatican, as well as
his historic visit to Armenia in 2001, the first visit of a Bishop of Rome
to our biblical land. In recent years, we witnessed the courage and
strength displayed by our Brother in Christ during his illness, which
provided the most excellent example of dignity, faith, hope and submission
to the all-providential Will of God. Throughout the 26 year tenure of Pope
John Paul II, His Holiness was a vigilant defender of life and champion of
justice. His constant appeals for peace and reconciliation among nations
were always based firmly on his strong moral convictions and love of
mankind. In more recent years, through his efforts and the work of our
predecessors of blessed memory, the fraternal love and solidarity between
our two Churches were greater reinforced and made stronger.
Today, Armenians dispersed throughout the world sympathize with your Church
and faithful, and we stand ready to continue together on the paths of
righteousness and service, all for the greater glory of God.
Offering our affectionate greetings and our blessings to you all, we pray
that the protective Right Hand of the Almighty grant progress and renewal to
the Roman Catholic Church. It is our plea that Our Risen Lord bestows you
with strength and wisdom at this difficult time for the benefit of your
faithful flock.
With Blessings,
KAREKIN II
SUPREME PATRIARCH
CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
April 3, 2005

Chicago Tribune
The pope and the end of European communism
By Tom Hundley
Tribune staff reporter
Published April 2, 2005
WARSAW — Poland in the late 1970s was a grim and isolated place. The
economy was a shambles. The shelves of shops were empty, and consumers
waited in long lines. The Communist regime went almost unchallenged.
But spirits rose in October 1979, when Karol Wojtyla, archbishop of Krakow,
was elected pope. Poles suddenly had a link to the outside world – Wojtyla
would be their voice. And Wojtyla was determined to help his homeland.
When the Vatican first proposed a visit in early 1979, Leonid Brezhnev, the
Soviet leader, recommended that the pope’s trip should be postponed “due to
illness.” A homecoming for a Polish pope would only bring trouble, he
warned.
The Polish government believed it could stage-manage a harmless religious
event. But the Communists had little inkling of the power wielded by Pope
John Paul II.
Some 300,000 Poles filled Warsaw’s vast Victory Square for the first papal
mass on June 2, 1979. Nearly a million more jammed the surrounding streets.
“There can be no just Europe without the independence of Poland marked on
its map,” the pope told them.
The response swelled like a vast tidal wave: “We want God, we want God.”
Over the course of the nine-day pilgrimage, the pope altered the
psychological landscape of his homeland, instilling a sense of dignity and
courage. His theme, repeated over and over at every stop, was
solidarnosz – the solidarity of the Polish people.
Fourteen months after the papal visit, those ideas bore fruit.
Government-imposed price increases triggered a wave of strikes culminating
in the takeover of the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk by 17,000 workers. They were
led by a feisty electrician with a drooping mustache named Lech Walesa, who
knelt at the barricades armed only with images of the Black Madonna,
Poland’s most cherished religious symbol.
Timid church leaders in Poland were slow to grasp the meaning of what was
taking place and urged the strikers to show restraint. But in Rome, Pope
John Paul II understood immediately the importance of the strikers’ demands
and sent a message of support.
The strikers refused to buckle, and in August 1980 a revolution was born. It
called itself Solidarity.
Within three weeks of its founding, more than 3 million workers from 3,500
factories had declared their allegiance to Solidarity. Within months the
number would balloon to 10 million – more than one-quarter of the population.
In 1981, under mounting pressure from Moscow, Poland’s leaders imposed
martial law. A few minutes before midnight on Dec. 12, telephones across
Poland went dead, and tanks rumbled through the capital. Four thousand
Solidarity leaders, including Walesa, were rounded up and arrested.
The pope, still recovering from the gunshot wound inflicted by a would-be
assassin seven months earlier, prayed for his compatriots. That Christmas
Eve, he lit a single candle in the window of his Vatican apartment – a symbol
of “solidarity with suffering nations.”
But he was determined to do more than that. In 1983, after months of
negotiations with the Communist leaders of Poland, the pope returned. That
second pilgrimage would turn out to be one of the crowning achievements of
his papacy and an unmitigated disaster for the regime.
Despite warnings from the government to stay home, 3 million people turned
out for three open-air masses in Czestochowa. They heard the pope preach a
gospel of dignity, human rights and solidarity.
Despite tanks in the streets and the menacing presence of security police
everywhere, 300,000 gathered for a mass at a Warsaw stadium meant to hold
100,000.
Bronislaw Geremek, a professor of medieval history and key adviser to
Walesa, would later serve as democratic Poland’s foreign minister. But on
June 17, the day of the pope’s open air mass at the football stadium,
Geremek was in Warsaw’s Rakowiecka Prison. He recalls the extraordinary
silence that descended upon the city as the pope began to speak.
By the time the pope left Poland, the regime was more afraid of its own
people and the Polish pope than it was of Moscow’s hollow threats of
invasion. A month after the papal visit, martial law was lifted.
The road to freedom and democracy would not be easy for the Poles. As their
economy continued its slow motion free-fall, the country’s rulers stubbornly
clung to power, harassed Solidarity activists and curtailed human rights.
But the Solidarity movement – officially non-existent – had regained the
initiative, and, with constant reinforcement from the Vatican, it would hold
fast until the regime finally gave way.
At the beginning of 1987, a full two years before the beginning of the talks
that would mark the formal dismantling of communism in Poland, Gen. Wojciech
Jaruzelski traveled to Rome for a meeting with the pope.
At this point, writes papal historian George Weigel, “Both men knew who had
won.”
And with the ascent to Soviet leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, who signaled
that he would not continue to use military might to suppress Eastern Europe,
the only real issue was to secure a peaceful transition.
In January 1989, Jaruzelski announced he would recognize Solidarity and meet
with Walesa for a series of talks on the future of Poland. The talks began
in February. Two months later the regime agreed to semi-free elections:
Jaruzelski would remain as president and the Communists would be guaranteed
65 percent of the seats in parliament. The remaining 35 percent could be
contested.
The election was held June 4, and Solidarity won all of the 192 contested
seats. There also was an election for the newly created Polish Senate.
Solidarity swept 99 out of 100 seats. Historians estimated that 80 percent
of the Communist Party’s membership must have voted for Solidarity.
A humiliated Jaruzelski took office as president, but he bowed to the
inevitable by naming Tadeusz Mazowiecki, a leading Catholic intellectual
with close ties to the pope, as prime minister. Mazowiecki was the first
non-Communist to head a government in Eastern Europe since World War II.
In short order, the communist regimes of neighboring countries began to
crumble. Hungary, East Germany and Czechoslovakia saw peaceful revolutions.
Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia and Albania followed, though not always
gently.
Although the CIA and the rest of Washington failed to see it coming, the
collapse of the Soviet Union was only a matter time.
Gorbachev’s perestroika reforms were too little, too late. The Baltic
republics – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – had been agitating for greater
freedoms since 1987. With the dramatic collapse of communism in the Soviet
satellite states, the Baltic peoples stepped up their demands. Nationalist
movements were on the rise in the Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia as well.
>From his earliest days in power, Gorbachev was deeply curious about the
Slavic pope.
A decade later, Gorbachev would write, “Everything that has happened in
Eastern Europe in recent years would have been impossible without the pope’s
efforts and the enormous role, including the political role, he has played
in the world arena.”
The pontiff takes a more modest view of his role.
“I didn’t cause this to happen,” he told an interviewer. “The tree was
already rotten. I just gave it a good shake, and the rotten apples fell.”
For a thousand years, the Catholic Church has been the guardian and
repository of the Polish national identity. Nowhere in Europe is a nation so
closely tied to its faith.
The Polish pope also saw his homeland as a living bridge between the two
Europes, East and West. And it was his hope – his expectation – that Poland
would not only regain its freedom, but would lead the rest of Europe back to
Christianity.
In the immediate aftermath of the regime’s collapse, the Polish church
claimedvictory for itself and demanded its say in the new nation. Poland’s
liberal abortion laws were abolished, and the Catholic catechism was taught
in state schools.
Many cities and towns renamed streets in honor of Pope John Paul II. From
the pulpit, bishops instructed the faithful for whom they should vote.
Most Poles saw things differently. The church, of course, had aided the
people, but that did not mean the church owned the victory. The last thing
Poles wanted was to replace the “red” tyranny of communism with the “black”
tyranny of clerical rule.
Instead, Poles embraced Western-style capitalism and consumerism with
astonishing speed. Almost overnight, it seemed, the drab gray of Warsaw was
transformed by colorful billboards of Western companies advertising their
wares.
Poles also began to adopt the social norms of Western Europe. Ignoring the
church’s teaching on birth control, they had fewer babies. While tough
anti-abortion laws remain on the books, an illegal abortion underground
advertises openly in newspapers. In recent years, the divorce rate has
soared; church attendance has declined.
On the occasion of Pope John Paul II’s first visit to his homeland after the
fall of communism, Poles were expecting a celebration. Instead, they got a
scolding.
The pope took in the all the changes, and, like an angry Moses, he lashed
out at the “whole civilization of desire and pleasure which is now lording
it over us, profiting from various means of seduction. Is this civilization
or is it anti-civilization?”
“And what should be the criteria for Europeanism? Freedom? What kind of
freedom? The freedom to take the life of an unborn child?” he demanded.
The visit stunned Poles and left the pope feeling betrayed by his
compatriots. For the first time, the international media began to paint a
picture of the pope as an angry old man, out of touch with the times.
The years took their toll on the pontiff, but he hadn’t changed his message.
He never did.
His most recent visits to Poland have been occasions for great outpourings
of national pride. Last year, an estimated 2.5 million turned out for an
open-air mass in Krakow.
Among them was a 46-year-old steelworker named Henryk Otlinger. With tears
streaming down his face, he hoisted his 10-year-old daughter, Natalia, onto
his shoulders so that she might catch a glimpse of the man her father said
“was the most important person in the world, in the country and privately
for us, in our family.”
In Krakow that day, there was little evidence of the “new evangelization”
the pope has yearned for. But the Poles came – young and old – to honor the man
that many of them consider to be the greatest Pole who ever lived, a man of
awesome spiritual power who gave his nation the strength to liberate itself.
Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune