Author: Hunanian Jack

ARMENIA MARKS GENOCIDE ANNIVERSARY
By Ruzanna Khachatrian and Hovannes Shoghikian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
April 24 2007

Tens of thousands of people silently marched in Yerevan on Tuesday
in an annual remembrance of some 1.5 million victims of the Armenian
genocide in Ottoman Turkey.

The day marked the 92nd anniversary of the start of the 1915-1918
mass killings and deportations that affected virtually the entire
Armenian population of the crumbling Ottoman Empire. Nearly two dozen
countries, among them France, Canada and Russia, have recognized the
massacres as the first genocide of the 20th century.

As always, the official commemoration of the anniversary began with a
prayer service at the genocide memorial on Yerevan’s Tsitsernakabert
Hill that was led by the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Garegin II, and attended by President Robert Kocharian and other top
government officials.

Ordinary Armenians laid flowers around the memorial’s eternal fire
throughout the day. The stream of people walking to the memorial
was thinner than usual due to heavy snow which is highly unusual
for this time of the year in Armenia. Mourners were again joined by
representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Yerevan.

In a written address to the nation, Kocharian evoked the increasingly
successful Armenian campaign for international recognition of the
genocide. "The international community has realized that genocide is
a crime directed against not only a particular people but the entire
humanity," he said. "Denial and cover-up of that crime is no less
dangerous than its preparation and perpetration."

"A strong, democratic and prosperous Armenia must be the Armenian
people’s response to the masterminds, perpetrators and deniers of
the Armenian Genocide," added Kocharian.

In a separate statement, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian said genocide
recognition will remain on the Armenian government’s foreign policy
agenda. "We remember our past, but Armenia is moving forward, seeking
to establish normal relations with all of its neighbors," he said,
effectively reaffirming Yerevan’s support for an unconditional
normalization of Turkish-Armenian ties.

The Turkish government, which vehemently denies that the 1915 mass
killings constituted a genocide, says the establishment of bilateral
diplomatic relations and the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border
is contingent on a halt to the genocide recognition drive.

In his statement, Sarkisian voiced solidarity with dissident Turkish
intellectuals recognizing the genocide. He also urged Armenians
to use the occasion for again paying tribute to the assassinated
Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink who also challenged the official
Turkish version of the bloody events.

Leaders of Armenia’s main political parties also visited the
genocide memorial. "A state can not live by denying its past," said
Hrant Markarian of the governing Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun). "Turkey must recognize the Armenian genocide as
soon as possible for the sake of Turkey’s future."

"For us, genocide recognition is, first of all, a matter of dignity
and historical truth and also a matter of Armenia’s national security,"
Markarian told RFE/RL.

Dashnaktsutyun branches in the worldwide Armenian Diaspora have for
decades been lobbying the parliaments and governments of Western
states to officially recognize the Armenian massacres as genocide.

The nationalist party controls one of the two main Armenian lobbying
groups in the United States that look set to push a genocide resolution
through the U.S. House of Representatives this year.

While praising Armenian efforts at genocide recognition, Raffi
Hovannisian, a U.S.-born opposition leader, sounded a note of
caution. "I believe that we must not excessively concentrate on or be
very buoyed this spate of recognitions because the Armenian genocide
and the loss of our people’s homeland is a fact affirmed by many
historians," he said.

AZERBAIJANI DELEGATION POSTPONES ITS VISIT TO U.S. DUE TO REFORMULATED EXPRESSION ABOUT NKR ON STATE DEPARTMENT’S SITE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 23 2007

BAKU, APRIL 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Azerbaijan has postponed the visit of
its delegation to U.S. The Turkish Zaman mentions that the reason
of the decision is some change of the expression related to Nagorno
Karabakh and its adjacent territories by U.S. State Department in
its 2006 report on human rights, which was placed on the official
web-site of the State Department.

The Azerbaijani delegation planned to leave for U.S. on April 23-24,
during which it was to have bilateral consultations related to issues
of security.

To recap, the following expression about Armenia had been included
in State Department’s 2006 report on human rights: "Armenia occupied
Nagorno Karabakh and 7 Azerbaijani regions." In the future, however,
that sentence was reformulated and placed on State Department’s
web-site, which read: "The Armenian armed forces occupy the most part
of Azerbaijan’s territories adjacent to Nagorno Karabakh."

In this connection the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister made a statement,
which read: "The neutrality shown by U.S. in the process of solution of
Nagorno Karabakh problem seems to be doubtful. So, as a result of such
steps cooperation carried out within the framework of two countries’
security comes across serious obstacles."

"SCREAMERS" FILM DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS SHOWN DURING THESE DAYS IN A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES OF WORLD

Noyan Tapan
Apr 24 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 24, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
received on April 23 Carla Karapetian, the author of the Screamers
documentary film dedicated to the Armenian Genocide which is shown
in Yerevan during those days.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and
Information Department, the film author presented the Minister the
responses followed the first show held in the U.S. and mentioned that
the film is now shown in Canada, France, Lebanon and it will be shown
in Russia and Argentina as well in the nearest future.

Appreciating the author’s initiative, V. Oskanian attached importance
to the fact that the film touches upon not only Armenian but, in
general, all genocides. From the viewpoint of preventing similar
crimes, the interlocutors emphasized importance of the work done in the
direction of the Armenian Genocide recognition in different countries.

PRESIDENT BUSH MARKS REMEMBRANCE OF WWI-ERA ARMENIAN KILLINGS

The Associated Press
International Herald Tribune, France
April 24 2007

WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush issued a statement of remembrance
Tuesday for the estimated 1.5 million Armenians killed at the end of
the Ottoman empire but stopped short of using the word genocide.

The wording followed long standing U.S. policy on the politically
fraught word. The statement comes as Turkish and Armenian interest
groups wrangle over a proposed congressional resolution calling for
recognition of the World War I-era killings as genocide.

Also on Tuesday, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans,
who reportedly had his tour of duty cut short because, in a social
setting, he referred to the killings as genocide, said that Turks
need to confront the facts of the killings and to show contrition
before there can be reconciliation.

"I think there can’t be reconciliation before there is truth telling,"
he said.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey however denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying
the toll has been inflated, and that those killed were victims of
civil war and unrest.

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Democrats to challenge Bush with war spending bill

The issue is highly charged in both Turkey and Armenia. Turkish
officials have said that passage of the congressional resolution will
harm its relations with the United States.

Bush’s statement came as tens of thousands of Armenians marched
in Yerevan Tuesday to mark the April 24 anniversary as the day in
1915 when Turkish authorities executed a large group of Armenian
intellectuals and political leaders, accusing them of helping the
invading Russian army during World War I.

"I join my fellow Americans and Armenian people around the world in
commemorating this tragedy and honoring the memory of the innocent
lives that were taken," Bush said in his statement.

He said that an open historical examination of the facts is essential
for normalizing poor relations between Ankara and Yerevan.

"The United States supports and encourages those in both countries
who are working to build a shared understanding of history as a basis
for a more hopeful future," Bush said.

In a speech in Washington, Evans said that he believes that genocide is
the best word for the killings. He said that following his comments
while he was ambassador in 2005, a clarification renouncing his
phrasing was posted on a State Department Web site. He said that that
he did not write the clarification but did not object at the time to
its posting.

Evans said that it was made clear to him that he could not remain at
the State Department and he left to write a book on his experience
late last year.

Bush’s nominee to succeed him has been held up in the Senate with
Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, blocking the nomination
of Richard Hoagland over the career diplomat’s refusal to use the
word genocide at his confirmation hearing in June.

Evans said that he thought Hoagland was an appropriate choice for the
position, but declined to comment on the process of his confirmation.

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY STILL IS NOT READY TO RECOGNIZE KARABAKH’S INDEPENDENCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2007 17:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US Undersecretary Nicholas Burns’s statement that the
United States is ready to grant Kosovo independence is quite logical,
political scientist Stepan Grigoryan stated to the PanARMENIAN.Net
journalist. "Kosovo is under UN mandate since 1999, NATO troops are
located there, which provide security and order. There is nothing
new in Burns’s statement," he underlined. As to the influence of
Kosovo precedent on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, the
Armenian political scientist thinks in case of recognizing Kosovo’s
independence automatically increases argumentation for granting
independence to Nagorno Karabakh. "But the international community
is not ready to recognize independence of Nagorno Karabakh yet. It is
a matter of a year or three. Indeed, the consequences of discussions
over Kosovo problem have already reflected in the negotiation process
– it is the offer to hold a referendum in Karabakh. I’ll underline,
the initiative of referendum comes exactly from the U.S. Really,
formally all speak about territorial integrity, but I think the right
of nations to self-determination while negotiating conflicts will be
dominant," the Armenian political scientist stressed.

Nicholas Burns stated "the United States together with other countries
plans to cosponsor a new resolution in the United Nations, which will
allow the Provisional Government of Kosovo to declare independence. We
think after the adoption of this draft resolution Kosovar leaders
will declare independence. Right after it the United States and other
countries will recognize that independence. We are now engaged in a
period of intense diplomacy to bring about Kosovo’s independence as
soon as possible."

ARTSAKH REBIRTH: 3 NEW SCHOOLS AND A RENOVATED KINDERGARTEN FOR MARDAKERT

A1+
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
[01:17 pm] 20 April, 2007

Yerevan, Apr. 20, 2007: Recently the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
completed 2 projects in Mardakert. Now the village of Madaghis has a
new school and Haterk has a renovated kindergarten. By September 2007,
school construction in villages of Kochoghot and Verin Horatagh will
be completed too.

Having a school building was central for the village of Madaghis,
where up till now classes were held in container houses. With the
financial assistance of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Toronto
affiliate, a donation of 264 thousand US dollars (104 million AMD),
a three-floor school with adjacent sanitary units and a boiler house
was constructed to accommodate 120 students.

A similar three-floor building will open its doors for the
schoolchildren of Kochoghot next September.

Currently a run-down building with no heating, adapted to minimal
schooling needs serves the village as a school. On funding received
from the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund France affiliate the first two
floors and the basement of the school building is completed; the
attic is sill under construction.

The construction of the school building in Verin Horatagh is also
underway. A new, three-floor building will soon replace the half-ruined
village school built in the 1930s. The project is financed by the
Toronto affiliate of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund.

The France affiliate of the Fund will furnish the Kochghout school
and in collaboration with the St. Etienne city hall has donated
11.5 million AMD (29.4 USD) worth of furniture and sport facilities
equipment to the Haterk school. The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Toronto
affiliate has furnished the newly built Madaghis school and will soon
furnish the Verin Horatagh school. The Mardakert school number 1 has
also been furnished due to various donations from France.

Therefore, education in Hadrut is improving due to the Artsakh
Rebirth imitative.

AZERBAIJANI EMBASSY TO WORK WITH US DEPARTMENT OF STATE REGARDING LATEST AMENDMENT TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 20 2007

The US Department of State has amended its 2006 report on situation of
human rights the section on Armenia. Though the expression "Armenia
has occupied Nagorno Karabakh and seven more regions of Azerbaijan"
was in the first version of the report, the Department of State
amended the text after intervention of Armenian National Committee.

It is noted in the amendment "Armenian military forces seized greater
part of Azerbaijan bordered with Armenia. Armenia Republic’s officials
say the republic has not directly occupied Nagorno Karabakh.

Foreign Ministry’s press secretary Khazar Ibrahimov told the APA,
Azerbaijani Embassy in US will work with the US Department State
regarding this issue.

FULFILMEMT TERMS OF SOME ARMENTEL OBLIGATIONS EXTENDED

Noyan Tapan
Apr 18 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 18, NOYAN TAPAN. At the April 18 sitting, the RA Public
Services Regulatory Commision made a decision to extend the terms of
fulfilment of ArmenTel company’s some obligations envisaged by its
license 60.

Particularly, the term of digitalizing the phone communication of
800 villages by late 2006 has been extended until June 30, 2007,
while the term of updating 70 thousand analog phone lines in marzes
has been extended until December 31, 2007.

The updating of these analog phone lines will ensure the opportunity
of automated inter-city and international access.

In the words of ArmenTel’s Executive Director Oleg Bliznyuk, the
company’s filfilment of its obligations in accordance with the dates
envisaged by the license was mainly hindered by unfavorable weather,
as well as by temporary suspension of implementation of the major
projects in connection with the company’s sale.

The speaker noted that during the indicated period – until December 31,
2006, all Armenian villages were provided with phone communication
(except for 3-4 villages where the work was completed in March
2007). In late December 2006, the CDMA system, which was envisaged by
the program on digitalization of phone communication in 800 villages,
was put into operation: thanks to this system, coverage of over 400
villages has been seured now.

Reponding to questions of reporters, O. Bliznyuk noted that currently
85% of Yerevan phone network and about 40% of the country’s phone
network have been digitalized. He reasserted the company’s willingness
to renounce its monopoly by late 2007, including its monopoly in the
fixed-line phone sector. O.

Bliznyuk stated that prior to it, the company will fulfil all its
obligations envisaged by the license.

According to him, under the license, the 800 villages must have
at least 1-2 digitalized lines but in reality digitalized phone
communication will be assessible to all residents of these villages.

O. Bliznyuk said that this year the company plans to introduce the
billing system of payments. It was mentioned that by late 2008,
ArmenTel intends to provide automed international access for all
subscribers.

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

April 19, 2007

SPECIAL PRAYERS FOR VICTIMS OF VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY
THIS SUNDAY IN PRELACY CHURCHES
Archbishop Oshagan has instructed all parishes within the Eastern
Prelacy to offer special prayers for the victims of the tragic rampage that
took place on the campus of Virginia Tech this week. The Prelate expressed
sadness that such events could happen within the setting of a place of
higher learning cutting short the lives of so many gifted young people, as
well as several of their professors. "Let us pray for the families of the
victims and ask the Almighty to comfort them."

LITURGY AND REQUIEM SERVICE FOR THE MARTYRS OF APRIL
The Divine Liturgy and a solemn requiem service will be conducted on the
evening of April 24, at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 E. 27th Street, New
York City, in memory of the million and a half Armenians who perished during
the Genocide of 1915.
Under the auspices of the Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, the
liturgy will be celebrated by Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of the
Cathedral, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Vicar General, Bishop Anoushavan
Tanielian, will deliver the sermon. A special memorial program dedicated to
the memory of Hrant Dink will follow the liturgy and requiem service, both
of which will be conducted at the Cathedral’s Martyrs’ Altar.

VICAR ATTENDS WCC MEETINGS
Bishop Anoushavan participated in the semi-annual Board of Directors’
meeting of the U.S. Conference of the World Council of Churches in New York
City on Monday and Tuesday, April 16 and 17. His Grace, who is the Vicar
General of the Eastern Prelacy, is also the ecumenical officer in the United
States on behalf of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

PRELATE AND VICAR WILL ATTEND GENOCIDE COMMEMORATIONS
Archbishop Oshagan and Bishop Anoushavan will represent the Eastern
Prelacy at genocide commemorations in New York and Washington, D.C.
Tomorrow evening, Friday, April 20, Bishop Anoushavan will attend the
commemoration at City Hall in New York City, organized by the Armenian
National Committee of New York. (See next item for more details about the
event).
On Sunday, April 22, Archbishop Oshagan will deliver the invocation at
the gathering at Times Square organized by the Knights and Daughters of
Vartan. (See next item for more details about this event).
On Tuesday, April 24, Archbishop Oshagan, will attend the genocide
commemoration on capitol hill in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the
bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. His Eminence will
deliver the invocation.

GENOCIDE COMMEMORATIONS
The Armenian National Committee of New York is hosting its annual City
Hall Armenian Genocide Commemoration on Friday, April 20th. It will take
place at the Surrogate’s Courthouse, north of City Hall, in Manhattan, at
6:30 pm. It is open to the public. Buses will depart from: The Armenian
Center in Woodside at 5:30 pm; St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, at 5:00 pm;
Holy Martyrs Church, Bayside, at 5:00 pm, Baruir’s Grocery, Sunnyside, at
5:30 pm; and from Brooklyn, at the corner of Coney Island and Brighton Beach
Ave., at 5:00 pm. For information: 718-651-1530.
The annual commemoration in Times Square will take place Sunday, April
22, beginning at 2 pm, at Times Square, 43rd Street and Broadway, New York
City. The event is sponsored by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan and
co-sponsored by the AGBU, Armenian Assembly, ArmenPac, and the ANCA.
Participants include the Diocese of the Armenian Church, the Prelacy of the
Armenian Church, the AMAA, the Armenian Presbyterian Church, the Armenian
Evangelical Church, and the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of the United States
and Canada. Bus transportation is being provided from all Armenian churches
in New York and New Jersey as well as from the Armenian Center in Woodside,
New York, Baruir’s Grocery, Sunnyside, New York, and the Hovnanian School,
New Milford, New Jersey.

PRELATE WILL TRAVEL TO WASHINGTON
Archbishop Oshagan will be in Washington, D.C., tomorrow where in the
evening Dr. and Mrs. Dertad Manguikian are hosting a reception and dinner in
honor of the Prelate’s 40th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.
A large number of friends are expected to attend this special event. Three
separate public celebrations will take place in May in various parts of the
eastern United States. See below for details.

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORDINATION OF
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN CHOLOYAN
The 40th anniversary of the ordination of our Prelate, Archbishop
Oshagan Choloyan, will take place in three different regions as follows:
On Saturday, May 5, the first of the three celebrations will take place
at The Marriott in Providence, Rhode Island, with the participation of all
of the parishes in New England, Connecticut, and Troy, New York.
On Saturday, May 12, the second celebration will take place at the The
Marriott at Glenpointe, in Teaneck, New Jersey, with the participation of
all of the parishes in the Mid Atlantic, which includes New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC.
The final celebration will take place during the National Representative
Assembly (NRA) which is being hosted by St. Sarkis Church in Dearborn,
Michigan. This will take place on Friday, May 18, at Double Tree Hotel in
Dearborn, with the participation of the parishes in the Mid-West, as well as
the NRA delegates and guests.
For more information on all three events click
.html.

PRELATE WILL ATTEND DIVINE LITURGY AT ST. ILLUMINATOR CATHEDRAL THIS SUNDAY
Archbishop Oshagan will preside over the Divine Liturgy at St.
Illuminator’s Cathedral this Sunday, April 22. Immediately after the service
the Prelate will go to Times Square for the April 24th commemoration.

VICAR WILL WELCOME BAPTIST CONVENTION
Bishop Anoushavan will welcome the delegates to the National Baptist
Convention USA, on April 21, upon their arrival to New York on their journey
to Geneva, The Vatican, and Africa.

REPRESENTATIVE OF ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
VISITS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I
Bishop Anthony Boll, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan
Williams, visited His Holiness Aram I in Antelias on April 12. He was
accompanied by Rev. Nabil Shehadi, Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative
to the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The aim of the visit was to consult with
His Holiness concerning a visit by the leader of the Anglican Church to the
Middle East. Also participating in the meeting was Bishop Nareg Alemezian,
the Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

2007 DATEV INSTITUTE SUMMER PROGRAM
The 21st annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Christian summer studies
program will take place July 1 to 8 in Elverson, Pennsylvania. For details
click

2007 NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY IN DEARBORN
The 2007 National Representative Assembly (NRA) will be hosted by St.
Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan. For details click

PLG MOTHERS DAY LUNCHEON MAY 7
The popular Mothers Day luncheon presented by the Prelacy Ladies Guild
will take place on Monday, May 7, at the St. Regis in New York City.
This year’s Mother of the Year is Mrs. Lalig Bayrakdarian, mother of six
children, including the famed Metropolitan Opera star, Isabel Bayrakdarian.
A special presentation of "Musical Sounds of Armenia" will be provided
by a quartet made up of graduates and current students of Juilliard and solo
dance presentation accompanied by kanon and piano. For more information
click

&quot ;INDYKIDS" FEATURES ARMENIAN HISTORY, CULTURE AND
GENOCIDE AWARENESS IN MAY/JUNE ISSUE
IndyKids, a bimonthly student newspaper and teaching tool, has produced
an eight page edition which spotlights Armenian history, culture, and
genocide awareness. IndyKids, for readers ages 9 to 12, is distributed to
schools, libraries, bookstores, and individuals in New York and elsewhere.
The May/June issue introduces readers to the Armenians, with news sections
that include: a "fast facts" section about Armenia; a profile of an Armenian
American child; an article about Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide; an
item about Hrant Dink, a book review, and an Armenian recipe. Teacher/editor
Amanda Vender and journalist Lucine Kasbarian conceptualized the Armenian
themes in this issue. The May/June issue is downloadable at

IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE.
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has
designated 2007 as the Year of the Armenian Language. In celebration of this
year-long tribute, each week we will offer an interesting tidbit about the
Armenian language.
Armenian corresponds with other Indo-European languages in its
structure, but it shares distinctive sounds and features of its grammar with
neighboring languages of the Caucasus region. Grammatically, early forms of
Armenian had much in common with classical Greek and Latin, but the modern
language, like modern Greek, has undergone many transformations.
To read the message of His Holiness in Armenian click
.
To read the message of His Holiness in English click

DAIL Y BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for today, April 19, are: Luke 5:17-26; Acts 8:14-25;
James 5:12-20; John 1:43-51; Matthew 6:1-21; Mark 2:1-12.
On one of those days, as he was teaching, there were Pharisees and
teachers of the law sitting by, who had come from every village of Galilee
and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with him to
heal. And behold, men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and
they sought to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to
bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him
down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he
saw their faith he said, "Your sins are forgiven you." And the scribes and
the Pharisees began to question, saying, "Who is this that speaks
blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?" When Jesus perceived their
questionings, he answered them, "Why do you question in your hearts? Which
is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive
sins"-he said to the man who was paralyzed-"I say to you, rise, take up your
bed and go home." And immediately he rose before them, and took up that on
which he lay, and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all,
and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen
strange things today." Luke 5:17-26.
For listing of the entire week’s Bible readings click
.

SUNDAY OF THE WORLD CHURCH (GREEN SUNDAY)
This Sunday, April 22, is the third Sunday of Easter, known as Green
Sunday (Ganach Giragee) and Sunday of the World Church (Ashkharhamadoor).
The name "Green Sunday" most probably comes from an ancient folk holiday in
celebration of spring. Our forefathers, seeing mother earth bloom after long
winter months, glorified the Creator with an act of thanksgiving, and
celebrated by bedecking the Church and themselves with greenery. Green is
the color of life, freshness and promise. After a barren winter we are
filled with hope, life and love. It is also known as World Church Sunday in
the sense of the church belonging to the whole world beginning with Christ
and the Apostles who met regularly to pray and partake of the Holy Sacrament
of Communion. Perhaps it is an appropriate time for us to remember our
obligations to be good stewards of the earth and the gifts that have been
given to us by God.

APRIL IS THE CRUELEST MONTH
Tuesday is April 24-the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Let
us pause to pay our respects to the one and one half million who perished,
and pay tribute to the survivors who created new life under the harshest
conditions.

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots and spring rain.
(from The Waste Land: "The Burial of the Dead" by T. S. Eliot)

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 20-City Hall Genocide Commemoration, hosted by the Armenian National
Committee of New York, at Surrogate’s Courthouse, north of City Hall in
Manhattan. The program will begin at 6:30. Open to the public.

May 5-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in the
New England area will take place in Providence, Rhode Island.

May 6-30th anniversary of St. Illuminator’s Armenian Day School, Terrace on
the Park, Corona, New York, at 5 pm.

May 7-Prelacy Ladies Guild Mothers’ Day Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., St. Regis
Hotel, Two East 55th Street (at Fifth Avenue), New York City. Special
entertainment, "Musical Sounds of Armenia."

May 12-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in Mid
Atlantic area will take place at the Marriott at Glenpointe, Teaneck, New
Jersey.

May 12-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, 50th anniversary concert
featuring Onnik Dinkjian and John Berberian.

May 12-Armenian Dance party, St. Gregory Church, Indian Orchard,
Massachusetts.

May 18-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in
Midwest will take place at the National Representative Assembly.

May 20-"Hello Ellis Island" and Reception, St. Stephen’s Church Hall,
Watertown, Massachusetts. $20 per person. Information, 617-924-7562.

July 1-8-St. Gregory of Datev Institute, 21st annual summer Christian
studies program for junior and senior high school students, at St. Mary of
Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania. For information click here.

July 21-Sts. Vartanantz Church Ladies Guild, Providence, Rhode Island, and
ARS Ani Chapter present "A Hye Summer Night 2." For information
401-286-8107.

August 7-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual golf
tournament at Blackstone Country Club.

August 19-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church picnic.

September 27-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, 5th Annual Golf
Outing at River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey. Registration
begins at 11 a.m. and tee time at 1 p.m. For information, 201-943-2950.

September 29-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, 50th
anniversary banquet at Pleasant Valley.

December 1-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church bazaar.

December 9-St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 50th anniversary
celebration. For information, (617) 924-7562.

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IN ARAM HAROUTIUNIAN’S WORDS, UNEQUAL AND UNFAIR CONDITIONS ARE CREATED FOR POLITICAL FORCES PARTICIPATING IN ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 18 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The National Agreement ("Azgayin
Hamadzaynutiun") party will make a qualitative change in the political
field of Armenia, even in the case of having a faction consisting of
five-six people at the new parliament. Party Chairman Aram Haroutiunian
made such a statement at the debate organized on April 18. In his
words, there is an "ideological vacuum" in the country today, which
they are going to liquidate. In A. Haroutiunian’s words, a normal
political competition is also absent what is a consequence of created
unequal conditions for propaganda.

A. Haroutiunian stated that during the previous elections the party
headed by him lost the got votes because of the opposition as its
members presented at the commissions, in his words, "brotherly"
divided them. Besides, according to his observation, "none of the
opposition representatives found a force in himself to throw away the
mandate to show the people that they are ready to make any offering."

In response to it, another participant of the debate, Chairman of
the National Democratic Party Shavarsh Kocharian mentioned that "the
mandate is not for being thrown away but for serving the people." And
in his words, not the opposition but the authorities are guilty for
all the negative phenomena existing in the country as the opposers
simply have not enough levers to influence on the process of affairs.