Jump to content


Photo

-= Pope John Paul II =- VISIT TO ARMENIA


  • Please log in to reply
20 replies to this topic

#1 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 07 September 2001 - 09:15 AM

ITINERARY OF POPE'S VISIT TO ARMENIA
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS: The press office in the headquarters of the Armenian Church has said to Armenpress today that Pope John Paul II will arrive in Yerevan from Kazakhstan September 25 at 1.00.p.m. local time by a Kazakhstan Airlines plane.
The Supreme Pontiff will be welcomed at Yerevan Zvartnots airport by the head of the Armenian Church His Holiness Catholicos Karekin II and president Robert Kocharian.
The Pontiff's itinerary in Armenia includes a visit September 26 to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan dedicated to the victims of 1915 Armenian genocide, perpetrated by the government of Young Turks in the last years of the Ottoman Empire. He will be accompanied by Catholicos Karekin II and other dignitaries. Later in the day the Pope will visit a newly built magnificent Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator in central Yerevan to attend an ecumenical ceremony there.
On September 27 the Pontiff, accompanied by Catholicos Karekin II will serve a liturgy in a newly built Open Sacristy in the Mother See of Echmiadzin, later in the day the Pope will travel to the north of the capital Yerevan to visit the Kanaker Center of Mhetarian Congregation.
The same evening the Pope and Catholicos Karekin II will travel to Khor Virap, a place some 40 km off the capital where the founder of the Armenian Church Catholicos Gregory the Illuminator was kept prisoner before convincing the Armenian king of Trdat (Tiridat) to proclaim Christianity as the state religion. There the Pope will light a candle from the torch of Gregory to take it to Rome.
Thirty-three high-ranking clergymen are in the Pontiff's escort, including 12 Cardinals and Bishops. Also some sixty reporters will arrive with the Pope to report about his visit.
During his visit to Armenia the Pope will stay at the residence of the Catholicos Karekin II in Echmiadzin, the spiritual center of the Armenian Church, 20 km off the capital. There will be tight security for the Pope's visit to be ensured by Armenia's president's security service.


Posted Image

[ September 25, 2001: Message edited by: MosJan ]

#2 dragon

dragon

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 622 posts
  • Location:Auckland New Zealand

Posted 08 September 2001 - 11:32 AM

Some of Papa's thoughts...

-I'm waiting to see what you're gonna do, after dedicating my life for you...

-Try me...

-I never want to be in your position my Lord...

-What if all your promises of eternal life and Paradise make no sense at the end, hu???

-I'm sure we're gonna meet...very soon...

Anybody wants to try? it's really fun

#3 MJ

MJ

    Veteran

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 3,343 posts
  • Location:New York City
  • Interests:Theology, Tennis, Jazz, Modern Art, Red Wine

Posted 08 September 2001 - 05:23 AM

quote:
Originally posted by dragon:

Anybody wants to try? it's really fun



The eternal life and Paradise?

#4 dragon

dragon

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 622 posts
  • Location:Auckland New Zealand

Posted 08 September 2001 - 08:56 AM

images/smiles/converted/wink.gif

#5 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 24 September 2001 - 09:11 AM

JOHN PAUL II ARRIVING IN YEREVAN TOMORROW
24.09.2001

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Tomorrow Pope John Paul II will arrive in Yerevan to participate in the festivities dedicated to the 1700-th anniversary of adoption of Christianity as the state religion of Armenia. He will visit the country not as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, but as head of the state of Vatican. Within the framework of the visit John Paul II will visit the Holy See of Echmiadzin and Khor Virap cloister, will lay wreaths to the memorial of the victims of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey and will celebrate an ecumenical mass together with Catholicos Garegin II in Saint Grigor Enlightener temple opened yesterday. The Pope will return to Rome September 27.

<!> Reproduction in full or in part is prohibited without reference to "PanARMENIAN.Net"

#6 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 25 September 2001 - 09:01 AM

POPE JOHN PAUL II HAS ARRIVED IN YEREVAN
25.09.2001

Posted Image

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today, head of Roman Catholic Church Pope John Paul II arrived in Yerevan with a three-day visit for participation in the festivities dedicated to 1700 anniversary of Christianity adoption as a state religion by Armenia. "I looked forward to this historic moment and now I am in ancient Armenia", stated John Paul II at the airport "Zvartnots". He expressed his deep appreciation to President Robert Kocharyan and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II for the invitation to visit Armenia. "Addressing to You, Mr. President I want to express my appreciation and friendship not only to your countrymen, who live in their motherland but also to all Armenians that are loyal to their traditions", said the Pope. "I am excited that I am in the country the people of which adopted and approved the high concepts of Christian humanism on the state level", stated the Pope.
Within the framework of his visit John Paul II will visit St. Echmiadzin where he will deliver an open homily, place a wreath on the memorial of the genocide victims, recite with Catholicos Garegin II the liturgy in the new temple Grigor Lusavorich in Yerevan, visit Khor Virap monastery. September 27, the Pope will leave for Rome. During the Pope's visit to Yerevan all the unexampled security measures are undertaken. An hour and a half before the beginning of the liturgy of John Paul II and Garegin II the workers of law-enforcement bodies will block off traffic of the streets to the temple. The inspections of not only the media representatives but also guests that would like to participate in the open homily of the Pope that will take place September 27 in St. Echmiadzin will be made. Over 400 journalists including 58 from Vatican will write about the Pope's visit.

<!> Reproduction in full or in part is prohibited without reference to "PanARMENIAN.Net"

[ September 25, 2001: Message edited by: MosJan ]

#7 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 25 September 2001 - 09:04 AM

SPEECH BY H.E. ROBERT KOCHARIAN AT THE WELCOMING CEREMONY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS: Your Holiness,
Your Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians,
Honoured Clergy,
Dear Guests,
We are greatly honoured and happy to welcome The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II onto Armenian soil. The visit of the Roman Pope is an important event in the life of every country. But this indeed is an historic occasion for us - the first visit ever in the history of the Holy See of the Head of the Roman Catholic Church to Armenia.
The history of Christianity, which is so closely related to the achievements of human civilisation, is our common bond. Having been amply tested throughout seventeen centuries, our shared faith and values now provide strong foundations for the warmth of our relations. This is why we are confident, that this visit is of an historical nature in terms of expanding and deepening still further the relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Vatican.
Your Holiness, You have been at the heart of the momentous processes of change that have been taking place in the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. They signal the beginning of a new era for human and national freedoms. The universal nature of your work, your efforts to preserve peace and stability in the world are an inspiration to us. The rich tradition of these ties has already been impressively displayed. I remember the enormous response provoked by the "Armenia-Roma" Exhibition at the Vatican, to which Your Holiness made a considerable contribution.
The meaning of the Holy Father's presence in Armenia is intensified by the occasion of his visit to mark the seventeen hundredth anniversary of our nation's adoption of Christianity as the state religion. We pay tribute to the faith and dedication of our ancestors. The deeds of our forefathers brought spiritual awakening to the Armenian nation and enriched the treasury of our common Christian culture.
The power of Christianity's ideas, its spiritual and moral foundations are meaningful for all times. In the contemporary world, when mankind witnesses deplorable manifestations of hatred, its universal values of compassion, forgiveness, and brotherly love acquire added meaning and significance.
Ten years ago, Armenia re-established its independent statehood. We are celebrating with joy this important anniversary too. For in this new Millennium our State is reviving its entire historical and cultural heritage, which is so deeply indebted to Christianity.
Contemporary understanding of our traditional values has drawn us towards European standards of law and democracy as the ones to defend the God-given freedoms of man and nation. Armenia's geographical location has always placed us at the frontiers of different civilisations and religions. This reality and the existence of the Armenian Diaspora have opened up new horizons of understanding for us and compelled a broad view of the world. We have enriched ourselves with the fruits of harmony, tolerance and goodwill.
Your Holiness, We welcome the strengthening of relations between the Vatican and the Armenian Apostolic Church, enriched as they are by centuries of tradition between sister Churches. We are enthused by the ecumenical spirit with which these relations are guided today. It is an honour to welcome you, Your Holiness, to Armenia, at the foot of Biblical Mount Ararat. Your presence brings a special significance to our most special celebrations. Welcome.

#8 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 25 September 2001 - 09:22 AM

POPE JOHN PAUL II ARRIVES IN YEREVAN SEPTEMBER 25
The Supreme Pontiff, Pope John Paul II arrives in Armenia September 25 at the invitation of president Robert Kocharian and the head of the Armenian Church Catholicos Karekin II on the occasion of festivities, dedicated to 17 centuries of Armenia's conversion to Christianity.


Armenian president Robert Kocharian first met with the Pope in 1999, March 25 when an exhibition entitled 'Armenia-Rome, 2000 Years-Long Relations' opened at Vatican.


Earlier the press office in the headquarters of the Armenian Church told that Pope John Paul II will arrive in Yerevan from Kazakhstan September 25 at 1.00.p.m. local time by a Kazakhstan Airlines plane. The Supreme Pontiff will be welcomed at Yerevan Zvartnots airport by the head of the Armenian Church His Holiness Catholicos Karekin II and President Robert Kocharian. The Pontiff's itinerary in Armenia includes a visit September 26 to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan dedicated to the victims of 1915 Armenian genocide, perpetrated by the government of Young Turks in the last years of the Ottoman Empire. He will be accompanied by Catholicos Karekin II and other dignitaries. Later in the day the Pope will visit a newly built magnificent Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator in central Yerevan to attend an ecumenical ceremony.


On September 27 the Pontiff, accompanied by Catholicos Karekin II will serve a liturgy in a newly built Open Sacristy in the Mother See of Echmiadzin, later in the day the Pope will travel to the north of the capital Yerevan to visit the Kanaker Center of Mkhetarian Congregation.


The same evening the Pope and Catholicos Karekin II will travel to Khor Virap, a place some 40 km off the capital where the founder of the Armenian Church Catholicos Gregory was kept prisoner before convincing the Armenian king of Trdat (Tiridat) to proclaim Christianity as the state religion. There the Pope will light a candle from the torch of Gregory to take it to Rome.


Thirty-three high-ranking clergymen are in the Pontiff's escort, including 12 Cardinals and Bishops. Also some sixty reporters will arrive with the Pope to report about his visit.


During his visit to Armenia the Pope will stay at the residence of the Catholicos Karekin II in Echmiadzin, the spiritual center of the Armenian Church, 20 km off the capital. There will be tight security for the Pope's visit to be ensured by Armenia's president's security service.


© Copyright AZG

#9 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 25 September 2001 - 09:24 AM

Posted Image
By Emil Danielyan

Pope John Paul II spoke of a “moment of grace and joy” on Tuesday as he embarked on a long-awaited visit to Armenia, becoming the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to set foot on the first Christian state in the world. Using what Armenian political and religious leaders described as an “historic” occasion, he paid tribute to “the glorious history of Christianity” in the Caucasus country at the start of a three-day trip which is expected to cement the Vatican’s growing ties with the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“In greeting you, my esteem and friendship extend not only to the Armenians living here in your homeland, but also to the millions scattered throughout the world who remain faithful to their heritage and identity and today look to their land of origin with renewed pride and gladness,” the pontiff said on his arrival at the Yerevan airport.

“The whole Catholic Church shares your deep joy and the joy of all Armenians on the Seventeen Hundredth Anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as the official religion of this cherished land.”

The Pope was greeted on the airport tarmac by President Robert Kocharian and Catholicos Garegin II. The three men then stepped onto a covered podium to address over a hundred government officials, high-ranking clerics and foreign diplomats attending the ceremony.

“This visit is of an historical nature in terms of expanding and deepening still further the relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Vatican,” Kocharian declared.

“We welcome the strengthening of relations between the Vatican and the Armenian Apostolic Church, enriched as they are by centuries of tradition between sister Churches,” he said, adding that the Pope’s presence adds a “special significance” to the ongoing celebrations of the Christian jubilee.

Garegin, for his part, noted that the two ancient churches are bound by a “fraternal spirit.” He said: “Let us pray together, Beloved Brother in Christ, that your pilgrimage may strengthen the relations of our Churches further and may the bonds of love make our cooperation fruitful.”

John Paul and Garegin met separately at the latter’s headquarters in Echmiadzin. The focal point of the first-ever papal trip to Armenia is the newly consecrated cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator in Yerevan where the two religious heads will hold an ecumenical service on Wednesday. The pontiff is also scheduled to celebrate a Catholic mass in Echmiadzin on Thursday for the tiny Armenian Catholic community.

For Armenians, most of whom belong to the Apostolic Church, the papal visit is a welcome recognition of their contribution to the Christian faith and an opportunity to attract international media spotlight to year-long events marking the 1700th anniversary.

The Pope paid special attention to the anniversary in his speech which he began and finished in Armenian. He said: “For ever, the annals of the universal Church will say that the people of Armenia were the first as a whole people to embrace the grace and truth for the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…You zealously guard the memory of your many martyrs: indeed, martyrdom has been the special mark of the Armenian Church and the Armenian people.”

A rapprochement between the Armenian them began in December 1996 with the signing in the Vatican of a joint statement that put an end to an old theological dispute. The dispute had led the Armenian and other denominations of the so-called "oriental family" to split from the Universal Church in 451 A.D. -- long before the 11th century Great Schism that gave birth to Roman Catholicism and Greek Orthodoxy. The Armenian church has since been fully independent and currently maintains good relations with all Christian denominations.

In a joint communiqué issued after their meeting in the Vatican last November, John Paul and Garegin vowed to further deepen the “fraternal relations.” The statement also referred to the 1915 mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as a “genocide,” in what amounted to the Vatican’s recognition of the tragedy.

The pontiff said on Tuesday that Armenians were subjected to “unspeakable terror and suffering” in the 20th century but stopped short of calling the slaughter of some 1.5 million Ottoman Armenians a genocide. He will lay on Wednesday a wreath at Yerevan’s Tsitsernakabert memorial to the victims of the mass killings.

The Pope flew in from Kazakhstan on the second leg of a trip which has been dominated by his concerns that the world may slide into war following the attacks in New York and Washington two weeks ago. In mostly Muslim Kazakhstan, he spoke of the great respect the Catholic Church had for Islam. In Armenia, he is expected to
urge reconciliation among Christian denominations.

The 81-year-old pontiff maintains a busy travel schedule despite declining health. He was able to walk off the plane in Yerevan unaided. But witnesses said he looked extremely tired after arriving at the main Armenian cathedral in Echmiadzin to lead a joint prayer service with Garegin. The Pope faltered and was unable to complete a speech there. A priest finished reading John Paul's prepared text, as the pope sat slumped on a throne on the cathedral's altar, according to the Associated Press. Reuters said the Pope later appeared better when he visited the tombs of Armenian church leaders and entered his residence on the complex to rest before his next engagement.

#10 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 26 September 2001 - 09:00 AM

POPE LAMENTS DEATHS OF ARMENIANS IN 1915 GENOCIDE


Posted Image

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS The Pope John Paul II, who arrived in Armenia on Tuesday to attend festivities, marking the 17 centuries of Armenia's conversion to Christianity, visited today morning the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan to pay homage to 1.5 million of Armenians killed in the last years of the Ottoman empire by the government of Young Turks.
"We are appalled by the terrible violence done to the Armenian people and dismayed that the world still knows such inhumanity," the Pope said in a prayer at the Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex.
He spoke while sitting at the memorial's eternal flame, flanked by the Armenian Apostolic Church's leader, Catholicos Karekin II, and a phalanx of priests in black robes and cowls.
"Listen, O Lord, to the lament that rises from this place, to the call of the dead from the depths of the Metz Yeghern (Great Genocide)," he said, using the Armenian-language phrase for the deaths.
In the afternoon, the Pontiff visited the newly built St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in downtown Yerevan.

#11 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 26 September 2001 - 09:01 AM

Posted Image
POPE OF ROME PAID A COURTESY VISIT TO ROBERT KOCHARIAN
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS The Pope John Paul II paid today a courtesy visit to Armenian president Robert Kocharian. Kocharian's press office said the two men had a private conversation and later Catholicos of all Armenian Karekin II joined them.
After the conversation members of the Armenian president's family were introduced to the Pope of Rome.
The president Kocharian gave the Pope a bronze sculpture depicting Christ and his disciples at the Last Supper by Edward Shakhikian as a present, and the Head of the Catholic Church gave a mosaic picture of Jesus Christ to Robert Kocharian.

#12 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 26 September 2001 - 09:10 AM

THE POPE LAID A WREATH TO THE MEMORIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS
26.09.2001

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Head of the Roman Catholic Church John Paul II met with Armenian President Robert Kocharian in his residence this morning. After that he set out for Tsitsernakaberd Park, where he laid a wreath on the memorial to the victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915. In the second half of the day the Pope together with Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin II will hold an ecumenical ceremony in Saint Grigor Enlightener temple opened Sunday. The pontiff will pass the relics of founder of the Armenian Apostolic Church Griror Enlightener, which had been kept in Vatican before, for storage in the temple.

<!> Reproduction in full or in part is prohibited without reference to "PanARMENIAN.Net"

#13 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 26 September 2001 - 09:19 AM

Posted Image
By Emil Danielyan

A visibly moved Pope John Paul II used an Armenian phrase equivalent to the word genocide on Wednesday as he paid homage to some 1.5 million Armenians massacred in the Ottoman Empire 86 years ago. Steering clear of a diplomatic row with Turkey, the pontiff stopped just short of terming the mass killings a “genocide” and instead referred to the “Mets Yeghern,” which means a big catastrophe, in his prayer in English at the Tsitsernakabert memorial to victims of the greatest tragedy in Armenian history.

“Listen, O Lord, to the lament that rises from this place, to the call of the dead from the depths of the Mets Yeghern,” he said after laying a wreath at the memorial on the second day of his visit to Armenia.

“We are appalled by the terrible violence done to the Armenian people, and dismayed that the world still knows such inhumanity.”

The pontiff angered Turkey last November when he signed a joint declaration with the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II, describing the 1915 massacres as a genocide. The Vatican has since been careful to avoid the use of the politically sensitive term. Agence France Presse, quoting sources close to the Holy See, said Turkey has urged the Pope not to use the word during his visit to Armenia.

Official Ankara consistently denies that that mass killings and deportations carried out during the World War II were part of a premeditated government effort to exterminate the ethnic Armenian population of Ottoman Turkey. The Turks put the death toll at 300,000.

Armenians, who view the November statement as the Vatican’s official recognition of the genocide, use the term “Mets Yeghern” only with respect to the bloody events of 1915.

Appealing to God to show mercy to the Armenian people, the Pope said: “Look upon the people of this land who put their trust in you so long ago, who have passed through the great tribulation and never failed in their faithfulness to you. Wipe away every tear from their eyes and grant that their in agony in the twentieth century will yield a harvest of life that endures for ever.”

John Paul also recalled his predecessor Pope Benedict XV who, back in 1915, raised his voice in defense of “the sorely afflicted Armenian people brought to the brink of annihilation.” Benedict’s portrait was placed outside the twelve bending columns that circle the eternal fire.

The papal prayer was part of a joint religious ceremony conducted by top clerics from the Roman Catholic and Armenian churches in memory of the dead. Seated on armchairs by Tsisternakabert’s eternal fire, also listened to a live rendition of the hymn “Ave Maria” by Charles Aznavour, the famous French singer of Armenian origin.

Aznavour, who is currently in Armenia to attend events marking the 1700th anniversary of its adoption of Christianity as a state religion, had an audience with the Pope late on Tuesday. “I thanked him for coming here, for recognizing the genocide,” he told reporters after the prayer service at Tsitsernakabert.

John Paul arrived in Armenia on Tuesday on a three-day visit coinciding with the 1700th anniversary of the Caucasus nation's adoption of Christianity.

#14 Azat

Azat

    Veteran

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 8,969 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Los Angeles, CA
  • Interests:wine, beer, food, art, jokes

Posted 26 September 2001 - 04:39 PM

Analysis: Pope treads cautiously in Armenia

Posted Image
The Pope said the deaths appalled the Catholic church

By Caucasus specialist Felix Corley
Pope John Paul II's visit to a monument to the Armenians killed in the early years of the 20th century has provided what is likely to be the only controversial element of his pilgrimage to Armenia.

Present-day Turkey vigorously refutes Armenian claims that 1.5 million were massacred in what was then the Ottoman Empire - or that the deaths constituted deliberate genocide.

Even by visiting the Tsitsernakabert memorial on a hillside and laying a flower to honour the dead, the pope seems set to unleash a storm of protest in neighbouring Turkey.

Both Armenians and Turks were listening intently to hear whether the pope used the word "genocide" to describe the massacres.

When France's Senate passed a resolution commemorating the "genocide", the reaction from the Turkish government and people was swift and fierce.

Avoiding the word

The Pope bowed to sensitivities over the issue, coming as close as he could without uttering the highly-charged word.


Posted Image
Relations between the Armenian and Catholic churches have recently been warm

He spoke of the "agony" of the Armenians who had passed through the "great tribulation", adding that the Catholic Church was "appalled" by the deaths.

Significantly, he used the phrase "Metz Yeghern," or "big calamity", the term the Armenians have used which has the same resonance as "Shoah" does for Jews.

While the Pope and the head of the Armenian Church, Catholicos Karekin, spoke of the "Armenian genocide" in a communiqué issued last year when Hi Holiness Karekin visited the Vatican, the Pope is not otherwise known to have used the term.

He has instead spoken of the "tragedy" that befell the Armenians or - as he expressed it in his speech on Tuesday on arrival in Armenia - the "unspeakable terror and suffering" they endured.

But by adding that this formed part of the Church's "extraordinary witness of Christian life", the pope in effect subscribed to the Armenians' fusion of ethnicity and faith.

Unavoidable

The Pope could hardly have visited Armenia without paying homage to the dead.

Days earlier in Kazakhstan he had visited the memorial in Astana to those who suffered and died during Soviet era repression.

The Tsitsernakabert memorial is perhaps on a par with the Church's headquarters in Echmiadzin near Yerevan as a shrine of profound importance to the six million Armenians worldwide, who will appreciate the Pope's gesture.

Relations between the Armenian and Catholic churches have recently been warm, despite a wing of the Armenian church that rejects close ties with the Catholic church amid fears that the Armenian church is watering down its faith with what they regard as Catholic "heresy".

Both the Armenian church and the small Armenian Catholic community within Armenia - who retain an Armenian-style liturgy while acknowledging the supremacy of the Pope - share a common concern about the growth of Protestant and non-Christian faiths in Armenia over the past decade.

The Armenian church - one of the five Oriental churches - has kept aloof from other churches for 17 centuries.

While now embracing ecumenism, it will not give up this independence easily.

Felix Corley is editor of Keston news service
http://news.bbc.co.u...000/1564927.stm

#15 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 27 September 2001 - 08:45 AM

THE POPE CELEBRATED A MASS IN HOLY ECHMIADZIN
27.09.2001

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Head of the Catholic Church Pope John Paul II has celebrated a mass in Holy Echmiadzin. The Pontiff called to tolerance and peaceful nature and presented his apologies for the mistakes made by the Roman Catholic Church in the course of its history. John Paul II noted with satisfaction that owing to Armenian Catholicoses there had never been any conflicts between the Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic Churches. He also hoped they would closely cooperate in the future.
As reported by "CNA" agency, thousands of pilgrims from all districts of Armenia, as well as from Georgia and Eastern Europe had come to Echmiadzin to hear the Pope's homily. Today the Supreme Pontiff will also visit Khor Virap cloister. There was a prison in its place to the end of the third century A.D., in which founder of the Armenian Apostolic Church Saint Grigor Illuminator was incarcerated for several years. The Pope will leave Armenia for Vatican in the evening of September 27.


<!> Reproduction in full or in part is prohibited without reference to "PanARMENIAN.Net"

#16 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 27 September 2001 - 08:49 AM

ANKARA DISPLEASED BY THE POPE'S VISIT TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS MEMORIAL
27.09.2001

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The visit of Pope John Paul II to the memorial of the victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915 aroused sharp resentment of official Ankara. As reported by "Arka" agency, referring to "Turkish Daily News" newspaper, an official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey stated "the Pope should not distort the Turkish history to cater to Armenians." In connection with the hullabaloo in the diplomatic circles of Vatican and Ankara caused by the visit of the Pontiff to Armenia, John Paul II addressed a letter to President of Turkey Ahmed Sezer. In his letter the Pope assured the Turkish President there was no reason for worrying.

<!> Reproduction in full or in part is prohibited without reference to "PanARMENIAN.Net"

#17 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 27 September 2001 - 02:36 PM

POPE JOHN PAUL II CELEBRATES DIVINE LITURGY IN ARMENIA
ECHMIADZIN, SEPTEMEBER 27, ARMENPRESS: On September 27 morning the Pope John Paul II celebrated a Divine liturgy in the Latin rite on the newly consecrated open altar of Holy Etchmiadzin, the seat of the head of the Armenian Church.
Before the beginning of the Divine Liturgy His Holiness Karekin II, who was on the altar together with the Holy Father, greeted the Holy Father and the people in attendance.
In his speech the Armenian Pontiff noted: "The faith is the one important aspect that combines our ministry and calls us to work in love and harmony together in spite of our unique differences. We glorify God that day by day new steps are being taken in Christian ecumenical relations and co operations strengthening the mutual understanding and co operative spirit within Christ's universal Church. To this God pleasing cause are directed also Your Holiness' continuous efforts and tireless travels".
During the Divine Liturgy the Holy Father gave his blessing and delivered a message to the faithful in attendance.
Despite the fact that the Divine Liturgy was celebrated according to the Latin rite, the choir sang Armenian Church hymns and songs.

#18 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 27 September 2001 - 02:42 PM

Posted Image
POPE LEAVES ARMENIA FOR VATICAN


The Pope Paul II ended on Thursday his three day visit to Armenia to join celebrations marking the 17 centuries of Armenia’s conversion to Christianity. In the morning the Supreme Pontiff served a Divine Liturgy in saint Echmiadzin, the seat of the head of the Armenian Church and the religious center of Armenians, giving his blessing to the people who attended it.


Following the Divine Liturgy the Pope, accompanied by Catholicos Karekin II and other senior clergy and dignitaries, traveled to Khor Virap, a place some 30 km off the capital, where the founder of the Armenian Church Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years before he convinced the ruling king Tiridates to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 A.D. There the Pope lit a candle from the so-called Torch of Gregory to take it to Vatican. Later in the day the Pope visited a catholic church in a Yerevan suburb.


In the evening the Pope was at Yerevan Zvartnots airport. President Robert Kocharian and other top officials were at the airport as well. After farewell speeches by the Pope and the president, Robert Kocharian accompanied the Bishop of Rome to the plane.


© Copyright AZG

#19 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 27 September 2001 - 02:49 PM

Western Press On Papal Visit To Armenia




Western newspapers continued on Thursday their coverage of the Papal visit to Armenia. "The Washington Post," "The New York Times,” Britain’s "The Guardian" and "The Times" carried reports from Yerevan on the Pope's emotional tribute yesterday to the victims of the Armenian Genocide in 1915.

Pope John Paul II already signed a document which called the systematic annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians in Turkey as a genocide, but Wednesday he pulled off the delicate diplomatic and linguistic feat of deploring the 1915 massacre that Armenians consider genocide by the Turks – without offending Turkey, a key Islamic American ally, New York Times reports. "But in his remarks, in English, he used not the word genocide but the Armenian term "Metz Yeghern." This signifies genocide to people here, much as the Hebrew "Shoah" means Holocaust, but translates literally as "the big calamity."

According to New York Times, Turkish officials were satisfied, in part because the word "Turk" had not been mentioned, either. "By most historical accounts, the Ottoman empire killed more than a million Armenians during World War I in a campaign of death and mass deportations aimed at eliminating the Armenian population from what is now Turkey", the paper concludes.

Pope John Paul II paid mournful tribute today as many as 1.5 million Armenians who perished between 1915 and 1923 while under Turkish rule, the "Washington Post" reports from Yerevan. In its background information about the region and Armenia the paper writes that Armenia's economy collapsed with the break-up of the Soviet Union. "Its politics are unstable, vividly demonstrated in October 1999 when gunmen broke into the parliament and murdered the prime minister and six others."

Armenia is feuding with Azerbaijan, one of its Muslim neighbors, over Nagorno-Artsax. "But at least some of that was forgotten today as the world's oldest Christian nation celebrated the pope's visit, Washington Post writes saying that Pope came to Armenia to celebrate country's 1700th anniversary as a Christian state as well as to bring Armenia back into the fold of Roman Catholicism.

The British newspaper Guardian also explains its readers the meaning of newly internationalized Armenian description of Genocide "Mez Yeghern". "For more than 75 years the Armenians have used metz yeghern to refer to what they say was genocide, a word coined during the Second World War in response to the Holocaust. Some dictionaries say that over the years yeghern has come to mean genocide." Turkey strongly denies that Ottoman government has conducted the policy of genocide against Armenians. Pope stopped short of using the word genocide, using instead metz yeghern. "But beyond the technicalities of words, it was clear that the Pope was moved at the monument to the many who were killed in the region between 1915 and 1923," the Guardian writes.

According to another British newspaper "Times", the papal spokesman denied that the Pope, "who appeared in good form yesterday, had been taken ill on arrival in Armenia."

(Harry Tamrazian in Prague)

#20 MosJan

MosJan

    Էլի ԼաՎա

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 31,196 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:My Little Armenia

Posted 01 October 2001 - 10:31 AM

PEOPLE IN TURKEY DO NOT LIKE STATEMENTS OF THE POPE CONDEMNING THE GENOCIDE OF ARMENIANS
01.10.2001

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The hysteria because of the statements of the Pope, who again condemned the genocide of Armenians in 1915, does not become calm. People in Ankara think the fact that the head of the Catholic Church did not use the generally known international term defining genocide in his speech in Tsitsernakaberd is nonrandom. (The head of the Catholic Church said this word Armenian but this does not change its meaning). At the same time, Turkish media expresses sorrows as Pope said the word "genocide" last day of his visit, ignoring the warnings expressed in the official note addressed to him by Turkey's MFA the day before. In this document Ankara addressed the head of the Catholic Church with a call to refrain from the expressions able to aggravate the relations.

<!> Reproduction in full or in part is prohibited without reference to "PanARMENIAN.Net"




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users