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ARMENIAN PATRIARCHATE DETERMINED TO HOLD SEPT 19 SERVICE AT SURP HAC
Hurriyet Daily News
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=patriarchate-determined-to-hold-the-service-at-surp-hac-on-sep.19-2010-09-08
Sept 8 2010
Turkey
The Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul assembly was gathered under
the chairmanship of Aram AteÅ~_yan.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul has put an end to uncertainty
on whether the divine liturgy will be held Sept. 19 at the Surp Hac
(Holy Cross) Church on Van's Akdamar Island.
The patriarchate confirmed Monday that the service will be held as
planned, despite the fact that a cross may not grace the church's dome,
as had been initially promised.
"The [patriarchate's] spiritual assembly decided that the organization
[of the service] will be held as initially planned, without undergoing
any changes," the patriarchate said in a written statement Monday
after the assembly was gathered under the chairmanship of Archbishop
Aram AteÅ~_yan, according to the Anatolia news agency.
The divine liturgy, which is intended to be held annually, will be
held for the first time since 1915 at the church in eastern Turkey.
The building currently serves as a museum.
The debate on whether the service would be held as planned or called
off or postponed to a later date arose after the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin, the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
rejected the invitation to attend after learning that no cross
had been affixed to the top of Surp Hac ahead of the service. The
Istanbul Patriarchate said the ceremony would be held despite the
Etchmiadzin's decision.
Thirty nongovernmental organizations criticized the controversy
regarding the "cross issue" in a joint statement, according to a
report Tuesday by daily Radikal.
The Surp Hac Church in the eastern province of Van became a subject of
debate in Armenia and among members of the Armenian diaspora after it
was opened as a museum and no cross was placed on its dome. Turkish
and Armenian experts restored the church in 2007 at the initiative
of Atilla Koc, the culture minister at that time. The church was then
opened as a museum.
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet Daily News
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=patriarchate-determined-to-hold-the-service-at-surp-hac-on-sep.19-2010-09-08
Sept 8 2010
Turkey
The Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul assembly was gathered under
the chairmanship of Aram AteÅ~_yan.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul has put an end to uncertainty
on whether the divine liturgy will be held Sept. 19 at the Surp Hac
(Holy Cross) Church on Van's Akdamar Island.
The patriarchate confirmed Monday that the service will be held as
planned, despite the fact that a cross may not grace the church's dome,
as had been initially promised.
"The [patriarchate's] spiritual assembly decided that the organization
[of the service] will be held as initially planned, without undergoing
any changes," the patriarchate said in a written statement Monday
after the assembly was gathered under the chairmanship of Archbishop
Aram AteÅ~_yan, according to the Anatolia news agency.
The divine liturgy, which is intended to be held annually, will be
held for the first time since 1915 at the church in eastern Turkey.
The building currently serves as a museum.
The debate on whether the service would be held as planned or called
off or postponed to a later date arose after the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin, the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
rejected the invitation to attend after learning that no cross
had been affixed to the top of Surp Hac ahead of the service. The
Istanbul Patriarchate said the ceremony would be held despite the
Etchmiadzin's decision.
Thirty nongovernmental organizations criticized the controversy
regarding the "cross issue" in a joint statement, according to a
report Tuesday by daily Radikal.
The Surp Hac Church in the eastern province of Van became a subject of
debate in Armenia and among members of the Armenian diaspora after it
was opened as a museum and no cross was placed on its dome. Turkish
and Armenian experts restored the church in 2007 at the initiative
of Atilla Koc, the culture minister at that time. The church was then
opened as a museum.
From: A. Papazian