OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUÉ
A SPITTING INCIDENT
Armenian Patriarchate of St. James, Jerusalem
OFFICE OF ECUMENICAL AND FOREIGN RELATIONS
P.O. Box 14235
Jerusalem, Israel 91141
Contact person: Bishop Aris Shirvanian
Tel: 9722-6282331
Fax: 6264861
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website:
Jerusalem 15 October 2004
On Sunday, 10 October 2004, on the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak
(by Julian Calendar), when the St. James Brotherhood led by His
Beatitude Patriarch Torkom Manoogian and escorted by Israeli police was
heading in a solemn procession from St. James Convent to the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate the Divine Liturgy at the Holy
Tomb of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a 21 year old Jewish seminary student
suddenly spat on the processional Cross and on Archbishop Nourhan
Manougian, the Grand Sacristan, who was walking alongside of the
Patriarch. Archbishop Nourhan couldn’t tolerate this anti-christian
improper and offensive conduct and slapped the discourteous youth
who then broke off the archbishop’s medallion. The police arrested
him and took him to the police station.
This incident that was published in the local and international media
had its positive reaction in the Israeli government and religious
circles. The Minister of Interior Mr. Abraham Poraz expressed his
resentment against such antichristian acts to the Heads of Christian
Churches and advised the Minister of Security Mr. Gideon Ezra to take
the necessary measures to prevent similar occurrences.
Indeed the commander of the police of the Old City organized a meeting
between the representatives of the Armenian Patriarchate and the Jewish
youth, his father and the leaders of his seminary on 14 October. Our
representatives were Archbishop Nourhan Manougian, Grand Sacristan,
Bishop Aris Shirvanian, Director of Ecumenical and Foreign Relations,
Very Reverend Father Goosan Aljanian, Chief Dragoman. The guilty youth
and his companions expressed their regrets and apologies over this
unpleasant incident. Our representatives then accepted their apologies
in a Christian spirit of love and suggested that they educate their
young generation with the obligation of respecting the religious
freedom and human rights of others.
DIVAN OF THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCHATE