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Armenian Diocese In Georgia Requests That Acts Of Vandalism andOffen

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  • Armenian Diocese In Georgia Requests That Acts Of Vandalism andOffen

    ARMENIAN DIOCESE IN GEORGIA REQUESTS THAT ACTS OF VANDALISM AND OFFENSE TO THE DEAD BE PUT AN END TO

    TBILISI, MARCH 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The conflict surrounding the Armenian
    Church Norashen is gaining new momentum and the frontiers of trust,
    it seems, are being left far behind. After the attention it attracted
    in relation to the "fake tombstones with Georgian inscriptions",
    which are still not taken away from the church's yard, Georgian
    Church officials convincingly assured the Armenian Diocese that the
    Georgian Patriarchate had best intentions for a positive resolve of
    the Norashen question and that the actions of Father Tariel were
    very much his own. However, according to the Armenian Diocese in
    Georgia, just a few days later, Father Abgar, Deputy Head of the
    Armenian Diocese in Georgia, witnessed the undertaking of new works
    by the Georgian clergy and handymen in front of the Armenian Church
    Norashen (digging of holes, planting of trees etc.). Despite the
    earlier agreement, the appropriation efforts aimed at the Armenian
    Church of Norashen continue secretly, probably with the intention to
    put the Armenian Diocese in front of a fait accompli. The Georgian
    priest Tariel (the same who had destroyed famous frescoes from the
    Hovnatanyan school and Armenian khatshkars) stated: "The land is ours,
    hence the church is ours and we do what we want and what I have been
    told. Leave us in peace, you are getting on our nerves..." Against the
    backdrop of the Norashen problem, the Armenian Diocese in Georgian
    is worried about a growing anti-Armenism in Georgia (where according
    to official figures from 1989 about 500.000 Armenians live), which
    finds expresses in the form of anti-Armenian propaganda in Georgian
    mass-media, such as in the Georgian Times of 24.02.2005: "Armenians
    do anything to undercut the formation of Georgia as a state... and
    this is why it is necessary to create a one-nation-state", "if the
    Armenians had the material means, they would destroy our language",
    "I don't remember one single time, when Armenians did something good
    for Georgia", "a Georgianised Armenian can never become a Georgian,
    he will always strive to power. The clearest example for this is
    the Georgian President himself". The Diocese is furthermore worried
    about the continuous acts of vandalism that Armenian cemeteries are
    subjected to in Georgia. The century old cemetery of Vera, in Tbilisi,
    has been almost completely destroyed in the past 17 years. The graves
    of well known politicians, generals, professors and poets, who were
    not just Armenians but who played an important role in historical
    Georgia are being annihilated. And the latest horrendous news, reaching
    the Press Office, are from Dusheti (a provincial town in Georgia),
    where yet another Armenian cemetery has become the victim of acts
    of vandalism. The Armenian Diocese in Georgia requests that acts of
    vandalism and offense to the dead be put an end to. It asks not to
    impede the fruitful dialogue between the Georgian Patriarchate and the
    Armenian Catholicosate, which is undercut by the unqualified actions
    of Father Tariel, resulting in a negative impact on the century old,
    brotherly relationship between the two churches. The Diocese hopes to
    attract the attention of the international community to this situation.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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