Author: Nahapetian Boris

PRELATE’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

ASBAREZ
1/6/2007

The Bright Star Of Bethlehem Once Again Illuminates Our Lives

Twenty-one centuries ago, shepherds that were herding their sheep
on a silent and holy night in a field near Bethlehem witnessed a
miraculous sight; among the multitude of stars in the night sky,
they saw an unusually bright star shining above a humble dwelling in
a nearby village which proclaimed to them and to the world the good
tidings of the angels’ songs:

"Glory to God in the Highest

And on earth Peace

Goodwill toward men"

(Luke 2:14)

The prophets’ foretelling of God’s promise to save mankind was
transpiring with the Glorious Birth and Epiphany of our Lord, Jesus
Christ, the Son of God. Indeed, God had become man to guide us in
the path of righteousness.

By sending His only begotten Son, God sent mankind the tidings of
peace, love, and goodwill, and the promise of a new beginning for
a hopeful future. He who is the image of the invisible God took the
form of man so that man may recreate himself in the "likeness of God"
(2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15).

The circumstance of the Nativity in itself was evidence of the
tiding of renewed life. He was not born in a luxurious palace or
in a royal family, but rather in a humble manger. Similarly, the
news and message of Birth of Jesus reached the humble and poor,
and the good shepherds who immediately set out towards the manger
to be the witnesses who would bear the good news of the miraculous
Birth of our Savior. In addition, the three wise men of the East,
Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, guided by the bright star, traveled
to Bethlehem from afar to offer gifts to the infant Jesus who would be
the Savior of mankind. Through Jesus, the world would be renewed, and
those condemned to sin, death, and darkness would receive salvation.

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those
who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has a light shined"
(Isaiah 9:2).

For 21 centuries, the bright star that shined above Bethlehem continues
to illuminate the world, despite efforts to extinguish it.

Twenty-one centuries later, the "Great and Marvelous Mystery" of the
Birth of our Savior continues to offer hope, inspiration, and meaning
to our lives, minds, and spirits, and guides us towards goodness,
love, righteousness, and peace.

Twenty centuries after Jesus’ mission on earth, countless attempts
to obliterate the Sun of Righteousness have been made, however they
have all been futile just like the first attempt by King Herod.

The earthly ministry of the "New King" was brief, however the heritage
He left mankind is so rich and His teachings and doctrine so valuable
that it has transformed our world and lives. The star of Bethlehem
became and continues to be the source of eternal life, the path of
righteousness and truth, to renew the human race and to grant mankind
a more fulfilling, just, and peaceful world.

The spirit of the message of Jesus has endured for centuries. The
messages of humility, love, peace, and goodwill toward man remain as
relevant to us today as in the days of the magi who humbled themselves
before the infant Jesus and offered Him gifts.

We, as Armenians, should be grateful not only because we were the first
nation to officially accept Christianity but more so because our entire
history and achievements have been the embodiment of our Christian
faith, which is integrated in our national identity and character.

Dearly Beloved,

Man is still called on by God today to follow faithfully in the path
established by the Mystery of Epiphany. Today, the timeless messages
of love, tolerance, humility, and devotion resound in our individual
and collective lives.

Straying from the path of God and deserting the mission of Christ and
His Gospel leads only to misfortune. Absence of love and devotion
can lead to the destruction of families, friendships, and nations,
while love and goodwill strengthen even the weakest foundation.

As faithful Christians, we are offered countless opportunities each
day to give thanks and gratitude to God for all His blessings.

However, the New Year and the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ are
exceptional opportunities for retrospection, for us to take a moment
to re-examine and re-evaluate our lives and to rejuvenate our spirits
so that we may live a God-pleasing life.

This is what the mystery of Jesus’ Birth proclaimed in the past.

This is what the Feast of the Birth of Jesus expects of mankind today
and tomorrow.

On the joyous occasion of the New Year and the Glorious Birth and
Epiphany of Christ, it is our prayer and wish that our Heavenly Father
fill the hearts and lives of all with His blessings, keep mankind
away from harm, and grant the Armenian nation and people well being
and prosperity. On this blessed Feast, I extend my filial love to our
Pontiffs, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of all Armenians, and His
Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, wishing them
health and many prosperous years. For the leaders of our homeland and
the Armenian people I wish Divine guidance and wisdom in their service
to our nation. Finally, I extend my blessings and wishes of health,
peace, and prosperity to our clergy, Executive Council, parish Board
of Trustees and delegates, educators, members of sister organizations,
faithful parishioners, benefactors, and friends of our Prelacy.

Happy New Year

Christ is Born and Revealed

Blessed is the Revelation of Christ

Prayerfully,
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
Western United State

lraper.org
THE FAREWELL VISIT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AMBASSADOR

On Wednesday afternoon, 20 December 2006, the Ambassador in Ankara of the
Russian Federation, Petr Vladimirovic Stegniy, paid a farewell visit to His
Beatitude Mesrob II, Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and All Turkey, on the
occasion of the ambassador’s completion of his tour of duty.
His Beatitude the Patriarch received his guest in his office. During the 45
minute visit they discussed relations between Turkey and the EU, and between
Turkey and Armenia. His Beatitude the Patriarch said, "The reality that our
Armenian brothers and sisters in Armenia and the Diaspora sometimes do not
understand, or do not want to understand, is this: we are citizens of the
Republic of Turkey and are in the dialogue of life in every area with our
Turkish Muslim neighbours. And we wish for a state of peace and harmony to
be established. Every sort of study and relationship must be future
oriented. Since God has placed these two people together in the same
geographical region, moves to increase neighbourly relations must be taken
courageously in all countries of the region."
Ambassador Stegniy said he was of the same opinion. His new assignment is in
Tel Aviv as the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Israel. Before
leaving, Ambassador Stegniy examined the collections of the Armenian
Patriarchate, and he was especially taken with the Ayvazovsky paintings and
the decrees of the Ottoman Sultans.

A NUMBER OF STATE OFFICIALS AWARDED ANANIA SHIRAKATSI MEDAL

Noyan Tapan
Dec 28 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. By RA President Robert Kocharian’s
December 27 decree, for efficient work in state government system,
Anania Shirakatsi medal was given to Deputy Chief of State Tax Service
under RA government Armen Alaverdian, Deputy Minister of Agriculture
Samvel Galstian, Deputy Minister of Energy Levon Shahverdian, First
Deputy Minister of Nature Protection Simon Papian, First Deputy
Minister of Labor and Social Issues Arayik Petrosian. Noyan Tapan
was informed about it from RA President’s Press Office.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Father Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

ACU SA MEMBERS VISIT THE DEPRIVED

The Armenian Church University Students’ Association (ACUSA) that functions
under the support of the Catholicosate of Cilicia pays great importance to
helping deprived families especially during holiday seasons. Different in
nature from their weekly lectures and social activities, these social
service initiatives are highly educational for ACUSA members.

Following the Pontifical advice of His Holiness Aram I, ACUSA members
recently visited several deprived Armenian families, providing them with
food, clothes and other supplies. Such voluntary acts during this Holy
season bring enormous spiritual satisfaction both for the helpers and those
being helped. We are certain that this contribution by the Church will
provide an incentive for many others to remember and help deprived Armenian
families.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the youth
activities 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.

UNKNOWN PEOPLE FILL PAINT ON DOOR OF CAESAREA CHURCH

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Dec 26 2006

ISTANBUL, DECEMBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Unkown people
filled paint on the steel door of the Armenian Saint Gregory the
Illuminator church of Caesarea. Marmara states about it, quoting
Hurriyet, and reminds that the bell of the same church was stolen
recently. The case took place late at night. The local population
informed the police about the happened, and the latter held an
examination, then it made an attempt to clean the door, but the
trace remained.

ONE MORE AZERBAIJANI SOLDIER TAKEN CAPTIVE

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 25 2006

One more Azerbaijani soldier was taken captive by Armenians at 14.10
yesterday, stated Armenian Defense Ministry information service chief
Seyran Shasuvaryan, APA reports quoting Armenian press.

Azerbaijani soldier Samid Mammedov had no weapons about him. Seyran
Shasuvaryan stated that the reason of the soldier’s crossing the border
is officers’ pressures. Samid Mammedov was drafted from Akstafa’s
military registration office. The investigation is carried out.

Azerbaijani State Commission on captives, hostages and missing people
confirmed the fact.

ANKARA: OPENING OF AKHTAMAR CHURCH ON APRIL 24 – MESSAGE OF CONCILIATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.12.2006 17:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ This week, Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koc
said they would be renovating the Armenian Akhtamar Church in the
Ani region of Kars with cooperation of the Armenian Church. He said
Armenian consultants and experts were involved in the planning stages
of the project. According to Koc the opening ceremony of the renovated
church will happen on April 24 in the presence of leading artists,
scholars and historians. This is seen as a cultural and religious
message of conciliation, reports Turkish Daily News.

On April 24 the Armenian people mark the anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide in the Ottoman Empire where 1.5 million of Armenians were
slaughtered.

Azeri President Says His Country’s Membership in CIS Useless

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2006 15:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azeri President Ilham Aliev thinks that his
country’s membership in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
is useless. Aliev also said that if Azerbaijan were a member of
UN Security Council, it would vote against any sanctions on Iran,
concerning Tehran’s nuclear program. This statement he made during
an interview to the radio station ‘Ekho Moskvi’. The president also
touched upon the issue of Russian gas supply and the situation of
Azeris in Russia.

The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario)Canada
December 23, 2006 Saturday
Final Edition

Bethlehem stands as a reminder of religious turmoil

by WILLIAM CHRISTIAN

It’s only about six miles from the centre of Jerusalem to Bethlehem,
a much shorter distance than I thought.

I had an Israeli driver for this trip, since the route took us south
through the leafy, prosperous Jewish suburbs of the city, where a
driver with Palestinian plates would have been made distinctly
unwelcome by the authorities.

For my trip to East Jerusalem, the hotel was careful to order a car
with a Palestinian driver, since anyone with Israeli plates claimed
to feel unwelcome in those areas.

Most of West Jerusalem was built after 1949 and looks much like any
North American city. Before we went to Bethlehem my driver wanted to
show me his house, part of a series of row houses that overlooked the
Church of the Nativity. In April 2002 Palestinian insurrectionists
seized the church and held it for 38 days.

He pointed to the bullet holes on the front of the building and told
me of the evening when a bullet from the church came close to killing
him as he parked his car on his way home from work. Since he was
unwilling to take tourists into Bethlehem, a town controlled by the
Palestinian authority, he had a system arranged with a colleague, a
Maronite Christian. He phoned him on his cellphone and we met at a
pre-set point, where I switched cars.

Bethlehem is a very uninviting city. Its population is about 60,000
and it has the feel of some of the small cities in the rust belt
around Detroit. Once prosperous, it has fallen on hard times.

It has an educated, skilled, motivated workforce with nothing to do,
and nowhere to sell their goods, if they produced them.

There were some quite nice shops on the main street, with an
especially appealing one dealing in textiles by Palestinian women. I
liked the textiles and I was even happier that the proceeds were
going where they were very much needed.

There are only two serious reasons for going to see the Church of the
Nativity. First, if you genuinely believe, as some people do, that
this is literally the spot where the Christ Child was born. For you
this would be a genuinely holy place.

If you are among the somewhat smaller number of people interested in
early Christian church architecture, this edifice, which was started
after 529, is the place for you. (But you already knew that.)

Otherwise, you’re going to be disappointed by how run down the church
is, and how unprepossessing the setting is.

The church is in the care of the Armenian, Roman Catholic and Greek
Orthodox churches. When I was in the Grotto of the Nativity, an
Armenian bishop was conducting a choral mass. The chanting resonated
in its narrow confines. The experience was very moving — which is
what my guide said I should be doing, rather than dawdling around
buying textiles and listening to lengthy masses when he was being
paid by the job.

So I went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, first built in 330 by
the mother of the Emperor Constantine to mark the tomb of Christ’s
burial.

In the fine tradition of peace and understanding that has governed
the Middle East since time immemorial, the Persians destroyed it in
614.

It was promptly rebuilt, but the Egyptians hacked it down to bedrock
in 1009. Christian crusaders rebuilt it, and it remains largely a
crusader church.

Control over the church has historically been the source of
considerable dissension. In 1852, Turkish authorities had to
intervene and impose order on the disputatious Christian sects,
giving primary control to Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and Roman
Catholic overseers.

Later, the Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian Orthodox churches were also
conceded parts of the church, but since all the good parts had been
taken, the Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox churches have so far not
sorted out rights over the Chapel of the Ethiopians, which is
basically the roof over one of the interior chapels.

So, if visitors wonder what people are doing up on the roof, they’re
protecting their turf. In fact, in 2002, on one hot summer day, when
a Coptic monk moved his chair into the shade, the Ethiopians
interpreted this as aggression. The ensuing battle to remove him put
11 in hospital.

Christians, Muslims, Jews. We worship the same God, but we’re
human-all-too-human.

It’s at this time of the year that Christians especially need to take
a few moments to reflect that a child born in occupied Bethlehem has
made the world, if not perfect, at least better than it otherwise
would have been.

William Christian is a professor of political science at the
University of Guelph.

Policemen hurt in Moscow house explosion are stable

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
December 22, 2006 Friday

MOSCOW, December 22 — A small bomb went off at 157, Lyublinskaya
Street in southeastern Moscow at 5:48 p.m. local time on Friday.

"A police dog handler and two officers from the police cordon were
hurt and taken to hospital. Their condition is stable," the source
said. "The bomb went off when the patrol was examining a box with
a glass jar of an unknown substance. Eyewitnesses said there was a
swastika on the jar."

Moscow deputy prosecutor Vyacheslav Kozlov visited the crime scene.
The local prosecutor’s office opened a criminal case on the charge
of malicious hooliganism.

The bomb went off near an apartment of ethnic Armenians.

"Tenants found the suspicious jar on the stairs and called the police,"
the source said. The police dog handler was examining the jar when the
explosion occurred. He and the dog were injured with pieces of glass,
which was broken by the blast wave.

More sniffer dogs are examining the area for other suspicious
objects. Tenants have not been evacuated but the place is cordoned.