PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: jakeg@armeniandiocese.org
Website:
December 21, 2004
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ARMENAIN FAITHFUL URGE PROTECTION OF INNOCENTS
As survivors of Genocide, the Armenian voice has been strong in calling
for international action to end the genocide and violence being
committed in the Darfur region of Sudan.
The Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) has been
especially active in calling for an international solution to the crisis
and in raising funds to aid the victims of that violence.
“The Armenian Church is very much involved in efforts to end this
genocide. We have raised the issue in international religious
organizations and called for action,” said Bishop Vicken Aykazian,
diocesan legate. “We have suffered as a people, so we don’t want other
people to suffer through genocide.”
As the Diocese’s ecumenical officer, Bishop Aykazian has been at the
forefront of pushing for peace in Sudan. Bishop Aykazian, who serves as
secretary to the executive committee of the National Council of Churches
(NCC), has discussed the issue with leaders of that ecumenical body. He
has also led protests outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C.,
and discussed the violence with politicians, including a recent
delegation from Saudi Arabia.
“Armenians know the lingering pain caused by genocide. It is not just
violence today, but the ripping apart of communities and an entire
culture which causes deep generational pain,” Bishop Aykazian said.
“That is why we, as Armenians, need to stand up and denounce all acts of
genocide. Genocide hurts not just the victims, but our entire moral
fabric.”
On Tuesday, December 14, 2004, Bishop Aykazian, diocesan legate,
presented $10,000 to Dr. Bob Edgar, the general secretary of the
National Council of Churches (NCC). The money, raised through a special
offering in local parishes and by donations made to the Diocesan
website, , will be used by the NCC international
aid arm to provide relief supplies to the thousands of refugees pouring
out of Sudan’s Darfur region and into neighboring Chad.
In the Sudan, the Janjaweed — a government-backed nomadic Arab tribe —
has raped, killed, and burnt the homes of black, non-Arab residents in
the nation’s Darfur region in attempt to get them to leave their lands,
which the Arab government has promised to the mercenaries. The fighting
has left 70,000 people dead and more than 1.5 million displaced.
“The thought that humans could do this to other humans is immensely
saddening,” said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern
Diocese. “We must pray that God gives our political leaders strength to
prevent more pointless slaughter of innocent lives. We all must do our
own part to amplify the victims’ cries to bring about peace and safety
and justice.”
— 12/21/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern), presents a check for $10,000 to
National Council of Churches General Secretary Bob Edgar to help fund
relief operations for victims of the ongoing genocide in the Darfur
region of Sudan.
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