50.000-60.000 to attend Pope Francis’ prayer in Yerevan

June 3, 2016 By administrator

pope visit Armenia Some 50.000-60.000 people will be able to participate in Pope Francis‘ interchurch prayer in Yerevan, the Director of the Inter-Church Relations Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin said.

The pope will arrive in Armenia on June 24.

“The first day will kick off with ceremonial events. After landing at Yerevan’s Zvartnots international airport, the pontiff will head to Echmiadzin where a welcome ceremony –specifically desined for religious leaders – will be held,” Shahe Ananyan said.

Afterwards, the pope will meet with President Serzh Sargsyan and return to Etchmiadzin for private talks.

“On the second day, Pope Francis will visit Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide memorial where is set to lay a wreath and participate in a prayer of intercession. He will then leave for Gyumri, where a mass is planned to be served by the pontiff. The Catholicos of All Armenians will also participate in the liturgy,” Ananyan said.

After a small brake, Francis will visit Gyumri’s Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God (Seven Wounds) and the Armenian Catholic Church. The pope will then immediately return to Yerevan.

“An interchurch prayer will be offered at the Republic Square in Yerevan, with 50.000-60.000 people set to attend the ceremony,” Anayan added.

On the last day of his visit, Francis will hold several meetings with the bishops and priests of the Armenian Catholic Church, afterwards attending a mass at the open altar of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, served by the Catholicos.

According to Ananyan, a visit to Khor Virap is also scheduled to be held.

Pope will find Armenia which looks to the future – ambassador

May 30, 2016 By administrator

Vatican Radio has interviewed Mikael Minasyan, the Armenian ambassador to the Holy See, over Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Armenia and the expectations of the long-awaited trip.
Confirming the earlier media reports that the Pontific is due in the country in late June, the ambassador said that the entire nation is looking forward to the visit to thank him for the warm-hearted attitude to the Armenians.
What kind of Armenia is the Pope expected to find?
Today, Armenia is a young and dynamic state which this year is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union. Young as a state but having an ancient history, Armenia is confronting [challenges] with confidence, building the power of its identity, which is so demanded in today’s globalized world. The Pope will find an Armenia which is looking to the future, trying to overcome the planned economy’s complicated heritage and putting the emphasis on technologies, with a special focus on education. It is the Armenia, which having survived many pains in the past, is striving for peace, especially in our region.

What is the geopolitical situation in the region today?

My last remark actually addressed the situation in the region we live in. Armenia confronts many humanitarian disasters that have struck the Middle East and the Caucasus. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which has since 1994 been experiencing the tragedy of ceasefire violations, faced attacks against the backdrop of the international community’s silence. The episodes we have become the eye-witnesses of cannot but remind our population of the incidents in Anatolia 100 years ago, i.e. – the Armenian Genocide, or everything else that continues to happen to the Middle East Christian communities which are on the verge of disappearance. Armenia has, over the past years, hosted Christian Syrians on its land, and we have done the maximum within our power [to meet their needs]. Our solidarity with the Christian world and peace in our country will be discussed with the Pope in the course of his visit, and a joint prayer will be delivered for the special commitment to have a better world.

ARMENIA: The Pope visits the first Christian nation in history: the logo of the Pope’s visit to Armenia from 24 to 26/06.

May 21, 2016 By administrator

Greece: Pope brings 12 Syrian refugees back with him after Lesbos visit

April 16, 2016 By administrator

In a clear signal to Europe, Pope Francis has allowed three refugee families to accompany him on his charter plane. Francis was on the Greek island of Lesbos to shed light on the refugees’ plight.

The Vatican said on Saturday that Francis’ decision was a “gesture of welcome” for the hundreds of thousands of refugees that have arrived on the Greek island of Lesbos as they flee war and poverty in the Middle East, Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Three families – two from Damascus and one from the “Islamic State”-held Deir el-Zour – accompanied the pope on his charter plane to Italy. The group of refugees totaled 12 people, including the six children.

“Today I renew my heartfelt plea for responsibility and solidarity in the face of this tragic situation,” Francis said.

A ‘common humanity’

Lots were drawn to decide which individuals would be allowed to go with the pope, reported DW correspondent Bernd Riegert, who was on the scene as the plane departed.

The refugee families, which include six children, are to be taken in by the Vatican and will be initially cared for by the Rome-based lay community of Sant’Egidio.

An emotional meeting

Overwhelmed by the Francis’ visit, refugees reportedly sobbed and fell to their knees in his presence. Some even reportedly asked to be blessed by him.

After the visit, Francis had lunch with some of the refugees and then, along with the head of the Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and the head of the Orthodox Church of Greece, Athens Archbishop Ieronymos II, signed a declaration calling for their protection.

Refugees were also seen holding signs emblazoned with slogans such as “Pope you are our hope,” “please save Yazidi people,” “we are also human” and “Welcome Pope Francis.”

blc/rc (AP, Reuters, AFP)

Armenian Christian, Jewish congressman want Pope Francis to win Nobel Peace Prize

October 8, 2015 By administrator

Pope Francis waves from his popemobile in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 28, 2013. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By Brenda Gazzar, Los Angeles Daily News

Harut Sassounian of Glendale isn’t Catholic and doesn’t know whether Pope Francis would accept the Nobel Peace Prize if the pontiff was awarded it.

But the publisher of The California Courier, an English-language weekly about Armenian news, felt strongly that the Pope should be nominated for his humility, his bold recognition of the Armenian Genocide and for attention to human rights causes around the world.

So after learning that his good friend and ex-Canadian Parliamentarian Sarkis Assadourian had asked a Member of Parliament earlier this year to nominate Pope Francis for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize, Sassounian approached Rep. Adam Schiff to see if he could do the same and strengthen that nomination.

Schiff, D-Burbank, who has a sizeable Armenian-American constituency, did some research, wrote the nomination letter and got it signed by nearly three dozen colleagues from the U.S. House of Representatives before sending it off to the five-member Nobel Committee on Tuesday.

Pope Francis is already considered a top contender for the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for participating in behind-the-scenes diplomacy regarding the recent U.S.-Cuba rapprochement and for being an outspoken advocate for immigrants, refugees and the downtrodden. This year’s Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded on Friday.

For Sassounian, the sooner the pontiff is awarded the honor, the better. Perhaps, he reasoned, Schiff’s letter for next year’s prize may even add weight to this year’s nomination.

“I know (the pope) doesn’t need the honor. He may even refuse the prize if he gets it for all I know,” said Sassounian, a member of the Armenian Orthodox Church. “I think we owe it to him and to ourselves to recognize we have such an incredible human being, a true man of God, a spiritual figure of first magnitude.”

Other Nobel Peace Prize favorites out of the more than 270 candidates this year include Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency worker who leaked classified documents about government surveillance, a little known Catholic priest Mussie Zerai who has helped save the lives of migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea, Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege who has campaigned against the use of rape as a weapon of war, and Free Saudi Liberals founder Raif Badawi.

Sassounian was particularly proud during a Vatican Mass in April when Pope Francis described the slaughter of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks during World War I as the first genocide of the 20th century.

President Barack Obama, despite campaign promises, has failed to use the term genocide, apparently due to political pressure from Turkey. The Pope’s statements, which were made at a Mass for the 100th anniversary of the start of the killings, prompted Turkey — who has long denied there was a systematic campaign by Ottoman Turks to kill Armenians — to recall its own ambassador to the Holy See.

“The pope is not concerned about politics; he’s concerned about good values, principles and the truth,” said Sassounian, who says at least a dozen members of his family perished in the Armenian Genocide between 1915-1923.

After Schiff was approached by Sassounian, he said he was pleased to learn that members of Congress have the ability to nominate someone for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Pope Francis seemed like “the perfect candidate,” Schiff said, because of his work to solve conflicts peacefully and his leadership on trying to treat the refugees in the war in Syria with compassion and humanity.

“Obviously, he’s just won over Catholics and non-Catholics like around the world,” said Schiff, who is Jewish and the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

Awarding Pope Francis the Nobel Peace Prize would call attention to all those trying to do their part to provide sanctuary for those fleeing the violence in Syria and Iraq, Schiff said.

Pope Francis recently called on Catholic parishes around the world to offer sanctuary to refugee families and a Vatican parish has already accepted at least one Syrian family.

If he’s selected, “I have no doubt he will use whatever comes with the Nobel Prize to help facilitate resettlement of refugees” even further, Schiff said.

Schiff argues the United States needs to significantly expand its refugee program as it has taken in few Syrians. In addition, Schiff is urging the Obama administration to grant humanitarian parole to 7,000 Syrian families who already have approved immigration petitions and family in the U.S. but have not been allowed to immigrate because of annual caps. Those caps were removed for Haitians following the devastating 2010 earthquake, and they should also be lifted in this situation, Schiff said.

Source: dailynews.com

Everyone should support nomination of Pope Francis for Nobel Peace Prize

September 30, 2015 By administrator

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

Several weeks ago, Sarkis Assadourian, a former Member of the Canadian Parliament, informed me that at his request Parliamentarian Judy Sgro had nominated Pope Francis for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.

In her nomination letter, MP Sgro praised His Holiness for crafting “a papacy of inclusion, openness and reform.” She described the Pope as “an inspirational force for good” and “a symbol of hope…. From his efforts at reconciliation of past misdeeds and conflicts, to his work geared to promote peace and a greater understanding and tolerance of those with differing viewpoints, Pope Francis has already established himself as a genuine and constructive instrument of global change.”

Assadourian asked me if I could find a U.S. legislator who would likewise nominate Pope Francis for the Nobel Peace Prize. I immediately contacted Cong. Adam Schiff (D-CA) who not only agreed to nominate the Pope, but also sought the support of other House Members by circulating a letter addressed to the Nobel Committee.

Cong. Schiff’s Sept. 23rd letter states: “With unsurpassed eloquence, humility and compassion, the Pope has used his pulpit to exhort people and nations around the world to conduct their affairs with spirituality, morality and integrity…. Pope Francis has been a powerful advocate for peace, urging an end to conflict and support for constitutive ties among nations. He has called on the world to use diplomacy and discussion to solve disputes, rather than military force, coercion or intimidation. This commitment to nonviolence, which the Pope has put into practice every day through his words and actions, is at the core of the principles behind the Nobel Peace Prize.”

In view of the Pope’s reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide during a Vatican Mass in early April, Cong. Schiff commended “his courageous stand for human rights and his condemnation of all genocides, both past and present.” His Holiness has also condemned “the persecution of Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq.”

Cong. Schiff also characterized Pope Francis as the “leading advocate of relief” for large numbers of refugees currently flooding Europe. The Pontiff has even invited “a Syrian refugee family to reside in his residence at The Vatican.”

Finally, in his letter of nomination, Cong. Schiff emphasized that “Pope Francis has also worked to galvanize the international community to take on global problems, such as the changing climate and environmental degradation…. Pope Francis casts the issue of an unhealthy earth in religious terms, emphasizing our joint duty to care for the world and to pass on an unspoiled environment to future generations.”

Coinciding with the Pope’s U.S. visit and address to the joint Houses of Congress, Schiff’s letter attracted great attention from colleagues and the media. The Washington Post, for example, in a lengthy article, “Should Pope Francis receive the Nobel Peace Prize?” noted that “a peace prize for Francis would be historic: no Pope has ever won the honor.”

A nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize is considered valid only if it is submitted by a person who falls within one of the following categories:

Members of National Assemblies and governments of states;
Members of international courts;
Members of Institut de Droit International;
University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology;
Directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes;
Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
Board members of organizations that have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; and
Former advisers to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

The Pope’s nomination would be considerably strengthened if it is also backed by U.S. Senators and legislators from other countries, including Armenian Parliamentarians. The deadline for submitting nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize is February 1, 2016. The recipient is selected by a 5-member Norwegian Nobel Committee appointed by the Parliament of Norway. The prize is awarded each year on December 10 in Oslo City Hall.

Pope Francis fully deserves the Nobel Peace Prize even though he is too modest to seek it or even accept it. Should he win the Prize, His Holiness would most probably donate the $1.5 million award to the poor and the destitute around the world.

Cardinal Sandri: Pope Francis will perhaps visit Armenia next year

September 28, 2015 By administrator

YEREVAN. – Pope Francis will perhaps visit Armenia next year, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri told Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent during his visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan.

Pope has a busy schedule for the next year, Cardinal said, but expressed hope that His Holiness would find time for a visit to Armenia.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri arrived in Armenia on September 23, on a five-day visit. On September 24, he, together with the Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics, Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan, presided over the consecration of the Holy Martyrs’ Church of Gyumri city. The President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, also was on hand at this event.

Also, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia represented Pope Francis at Sunday’s Blessing of the Holy Chrism (Muron, in Armenian), at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and which is performed once in every seven years.

In addition, Cardinal Sandri handed to President Sargsyan the Gold Medal that was awarded to him by Pope Francis.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

Armenians of America welcome Pope Francis in Washington and New York

September 25, 2015 By administrator

Armenians of America welcomed Pope Francis with a “thank you” posters on the streets of Washington and New York.

Posters with an inscription “Thank you Pope Francis for Condemning the Denial of Armenian Genocide” appeared on the streets of New York, his second stop during U.S. trip, the Armenian National Committee of America reported.

Earlier Pope was welcomed by the Armenians of Washington who were carrying the signs outside the Capitol.

As reported earlier, the Armenians of Philadelphia thanked Pope Francis for recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

“Thank you Pope Francis for Recognizing Armenian Genocide. #NeverForget 2015” posters appeared on the streets of Philadelphia,

Armenia’s Sargsyan is awarded Gold Medal from Pope Francis

September 25, 2015 By administrator

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on Friday met with a delegation led by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia (administrative apparatus of the Holy See).

Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics, Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan, also attended the talk.

The President noted that Armenia-Vatican City State diplomatic relations are distinguished by their high-level political discourse, and that the bilateral ties continue to strengthen.

In addition, Sargsyan awarded Cardinal Sandri with the Order of Friendship.

The President also noted that it is hard to overestimate the Holy See’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The interlocutors also underscored the development of cultural collaboration between Armenia and the Vatican City State.

Cardinal Sandri, for his part, expressed gratitude for the high Armenian award bestowed upon him, and the warm reception.

And the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia, in turn, handed to the President of Armenia the Gold Medal that was awarded to him by Pope Francis.

‘Every life is sacred’, Pope Francis tells US Congress

September 24, 2015 By administrator

Pope Francis used his landmark address to the US Congress on Thursday to reiterate his belief that the death penalty should be abolished, directly tying the issue to his advocacy for the poor and underrepresented.

“I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes,” Francis said, according to The Washington post.

Francis drew loud applause for saying the Golden Rule urging people to treat others as they would want to be treated gives people “responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of development.” The pope followed that applause by saying he feels this extends to those who have been sentenced for crimes, and when he called for the abolition of the death penalty, a smaller round of cheers again broke out.

His remarks arrived at a time when capital punishment on the United States is receiving renewed scrutiny, as botched executions over the last year and a high-profile Supreme Court ruling on lethal injection have focused more attention on how the country executes inmates.

The death penalty is on the decline in the United States, with far fewer executions and death sentences last year than previous years. Still, the United States is still among the world’s leaders in capital punishment, ranking among the five countries that carry out the most executions worldwide, according to Amnesty International.

A majority of Americans support the death penalty, though that majority has been steadily declining since the mid-1990s. In the United States, a majority of Catholics also favor the death penalty, though by slightly smaller numbers than the broader American public, a Pew Research Center poll found in March. While 56 percent of Americans support the death penalty, 53 percent of Catholics support it, both figures that have fallen in recent years.