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Armenian American community lauds pope's recognition of genocide

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  • Armenian American community lauds pope's recognition of genocide

    Los Angeles Times
    April 12 2015

    Armenian American community lauds pope's recognition of genocide

    By Soumya Karlamangla, Anh Do and Ruben Vives


    embers of Southern California's Armenian American community on Sunday
    lauded Pope Francis, calling him "courageous" for his recognition of
    the mass killings of Armenians a century ago under the Ottoman Empire
    as genocide.

    "As far as the Armenian American Community is concerned, the pope has
    taken a courageous stand despite the threats from the republic of
    Turkey," said Glendale Mayor Zareh Sinanyan, whose city has been a
    haven for Armenians for generations.

    Sinanyan said Turkey's denial of the genocide and the United States'
    refusal to acknowledge it has not allowed Armenians to move on from
    the killings.

    "It's like a bleeding wound that just won't go away," he said.
    "There's no closure, there's no healing."

    lRelated EuropePope speaks out on Armenian genocide; Turkey pulls
    ambassador in protestSee all related
    8

    He said the pope's statements on Sunday were powerful.

    "When people with high public profiles like the pope are not only
    using the word "genocide" but actually holding the Mass in the Vatican
    dedicated to the victims ... that resonates in the Armenian American
    community," he said.

    Speaking before a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica to mark the centenary
    of the killings, Francis defined the slaughter of as many as 1.5
    million Armenians as "the first genocide of the 20th century," quoting
    a statement made by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

    "The remaining two were perpetrated by Nazism and Stalinism," he said.
    "And more recently there have been other mass killings, like those in
    Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia."

    cComments

    The Pope must be commended for acknowledging this massacre. The Turks
    have absolutely refused to take responsibility for this attempt at
    genocide, but now the world is watching. No doubt that Turkey's nose
    is out of joint over the truth of the Armenian genocide being accepted
    as historical...
    AuroraB.
    at 1:14 PM April 12, 2015

    Add a comment See all comments
    1

    In response, Turkey summoned the Vatican's ambassador to the country
    to complain about Francis' remarks. It also recalled its ambassador to
    the Vatican over the incident, according to the Associated Press.

    Sinanyan said he hopes the pope's statements will encourage the U.S.
    to "stop playing politics" and acknowledge the genocide. He said he
    hopes that President Obama will do so as well. "I'm really hoping that
    he will really take a courageous step and do what's right," he said.

    Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), who is the lead sponsor of the proposed
    Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution in Congress, said in a
    statement he hopes that "the pope's words will inspire our President
    and Congress to demonstrate a like commitment to speaking the truth
    about the Armenian Genocide and to renounce Turkey's campaign of
    concealment and denial.

    "America must speak plainly about the facts of what happened one
    hundred years ago, when in the throes of defeat, the Ottoman Empire
    murdered one and a half million Armenian men, women and children. With
    the centennial of the genocide fast approaching, and with a few
    survivors still among us, the time for inexcusable silence has come to
    an end."

    Turkey claims that just half a million Armenians died in fighting when
    they rose up against their Ottoman rulers after World War I, and
    denies that their deaths constitute an act of genocide.

    That position conflicts with the views of most historians of the
    period, who agree that Armenians were victims of genocide. A number of
    countries have issued statements over the years condemning Turkey's
    actions as genocide. Although Obama, before his election, referred
    several times to the deaths as genocide, he has not done so as
    president, maintaining his predecessors' reluctance to alienate
    Turkey, a highly valued ally in the Middle East.

    In a statement, Montebello Mayor Jack Hadjinian, who became the city's
    first Armenian American mayor in last November's election and is the
    grandchild of a genocide survivor, said, "I am comforted by the words
    of Pope Francis and his courage to stand on the side of truth and
    human rights. His words go beyond the political and offer healing and
    possibility for the Armenians who had to suffer decades of denial and
    transgenerational trauma from the Turkish Government.

    "The fact that Turkey recalled its envoy from Rome proves that they
    are not working hard enough to push their propaganda and take
    responsibility for crimes against humanity. With Turkey's continued
    denial, the cycle of genocide continues and allows for these heinous
    crimes to happen again in the world."

    Before Sunday Mass at St. Gregory Armenian Catholic Church in
    Glendale, Father Antoine Noradounghian said he had "joy in his heart"
    after hearing the pope's message.

    "What it means is we have to always remember -- even after another 100
    years," he said.

    Peter Haig, who is the Armenian diocese's representative to the United
    Armenian Council of Los Angeles, told worshipers after the service
    "that this is a great thing that the pope did for us Armenians. ... He
    had the courage in spite of all the political pressure. He said what
    is on his mind for the sake of all humanity.

    "For young Armenians, this should give them hope," Haig said. "For
    everyone, there's comfort that the world has not forgotten about us.
    For years, big, civilized countries have not accepted this truth, but
    many are still fighting to bring justice to the table."

    Haig's wife, Seta, who is a mental health therapist, said the denial
    of the genocide is "a wound that continues to fester. That's why this
    message is so healing. It's very, very exciting that the pope has the
    strength to say it. He is fearless. He has guts."

    Naris Khalatian, an attorney from Glendale, clasped her hands together
    as if in prayer, her voice deep with emotion. Pope Francis
    "acknowledged the fact that this was evil. Thank you," she said
    fervently, standing in the shade of the church's three pomegranate
    trees, the fruit of Armenia representing fertility.

    "I woke up at 6 a.m. today and went straight for my phone. I googled
    Pope Francis and Armenia and genocide. I kept wondering if he was
    going to use the 'g' word," Khalatian said, sharing family stories
    about how her grandfather and his brothers were forced to pretend to
    be Muslims to survive the genocide.

    "Basically, what you see now with [the terrorist group Islamic State]
    is what happened all those years ago," she said.

    "Only then, she said, we didn't have Facebook to show everyone" what
    the Turks "were doing. The whole Ottoman empire decided to get rid of
    one race. I personally can't forgive them until they recognize what
    they did."


    http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-armenian-american-pope-francis-genocide-20150412-story.html



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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