PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: cathcil@cathcil.org
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA PUBLISHES
A NEW PUBLICATION IN GERMAN ABOUT THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ZUM 90. GEDENKJAHR DES VÖLKERMORDES AN DEN ARMENIERN STIMMEN AUS DEUTSCHLAND
Antworten, Aufsätze, Essays, Reden, armenische Augenzeugenberichte
(Antelias 2005, S. 418)

“VOICES FROM GERMANY ON THE OCCASION OF THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE
Answers, Articles, Essays, Speeches, Eyewitness Accounts”
(Antelias 2005, 418 pages)

The above book was recently published by the Catholicosate of Cilicia with
the financial support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. As its title
reflects, the book has a diversified content.

The publication has been edited and prepared for publication by Ishkhan
Chiftjian, a student of theology in the University of Leipzig in Germany.
The foreword is written by His Holiness Aram I who is also the patron of the
publication.

In the foreword entitled “Memory and Justice,” His Holiness stresses the
undeniable effect of memory on the life of an individual or people and the
importance of justice. The Pontiff then draws connections between the
Armenian Genocide and the concepts of memory and justice, emphasizing the
urgent and imperative need of recognizing the Genocide and compensating for
it.

The introduction by Ishkhan Chiftjian is entitled “Genocide: The Definite
Plural.” The editor explains: 1) The multi-faceted character of Genocide; 2)
the presence of many terms synonymous to the word “Genocide” in the Armenian
Language; 3) the pluralism in the scientific fields that study Genocide
(history, politics, etc.). He emphasized that Genocide is a comprehensive
blow directed to a people’s unity.

“This publication aims at giving a wider scope to the memory of the
approximately one and a half million victims of the Armenian Genocide as
well as the numerous cultural riches (churches and schools, literature and
press, manuscripts and dialect, etc.) that were destroyed, by collecting and
presenting statements, positions, contemplations, questions from Germany on
the most cruel incident of the most recent chapter of the Armenian History.
What is presented here is only a picture and is not comprehensive,” writes
Chiftjian.

52 German authors and one Swiss Genocide Scholars have contributed to the
publication.

In the first part, entitled “Answers”, 37 contributors answer to the six
questions prepared by the editor sometimes in a few short paragraphs,
sometimes in five-six pages. The questions are related to the authors’ first
encounter with the Armenian Genocide and the unfolding developments. The
contributors to this section include catholic and protestant theologians,
spiritual servants, historians, religion scholars, sociologists, linguists,
authors, publishers, journalists and students.

Most are acquainted with Franz Werfel’s publication, which has triggered
their interest in the issue. Others have gained interest in the matter
because of Turkey’s EU bid. Some of these authors have been involved in
scientific and publishing work related to the Armenian Genocide (Ralph
Giordano, Prof. Dr. Hermann Goltz, Wolfgang Gust, Rev. Manfred Richter,
Prof. Dr. Martin Tamcke, etc.).

The contribution of two internationally renowned theologians (Prof. Dr.
Wolfhart Pannenberg and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Moltmann) alongside the son of a
great and unforgettable friend of the Armenian nation, Johannes Lepsius
(Rainer Lepsius – former professor of sociology in the University of
Heidelberg) to this section should be distinctively noted.

The following research papers can be read in the “Articles” section:
– “The aspects of a Genocide” (Dr. Hilmar Kaiser, historian, United States)
– “Germany, Armenia and Turkey: Incentives of a critical dialogue between
historians” (Prof. Dr. Hans-Walter Schmuhl, historian, University of
Bielefeld)
– “The acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide is not a debate between
historians; it is the topic and task of the lawyer. (Note addressed to the
members of the German Parliament)” (Prof. Dr. Otto Luchterhandt, lawyer,
University of Hamburg).
– “The Taboo as a basis of the psychological illnesses embedded in the
Turkish disgrace” (Esther Schulz-Goldstein, psychiatrist, Berlin)
– “The Armenian Genocide and the Hebrew Holocaust: The boundaries and
possibilities of a comparison” (Dominik J. Schaller, historian, Genocide
Scholar, University of Zürich, Switzerland)
– “Of what interest are Armenians to us? – The Armenian Genocide and our
silence” (Prof. Dr. Georg Meggle, philosopher, University of Leipzig)

The “Essays” section includes the following titles:
– “Giving a voice to people who have become voiceless” (Dr. Tessa Hofmann,
Institute of Eastern Europe, Berlin)
– “Denied memory: About the contemporariness of Armenian Genocide” (Prof.
Dr. Wolfgang Benz, Center for Anti-Semitism Studies, Berlin)
– “About the Heavy Burden of History: A report about the experiences of an
Evangelical Academy during the study of the Armenian Genocide” (Prof. Dr.
Wolf-Dieter Just, Evangelical Academy of Mühlheim)
– “German Poet Armin T. Wegner a brave witness of the Armenian Genocide”
(Adelheid Latchinian, writer, University of Leipzig)
– “Arekagn Artaroutian, Djarakait Orhnoutian, Papak Bahbanial..” (Naregatsi)
– “Thoughts about Atom Egoyan’s ‘Ararat’ movie” (Jürgen Gispert,
ethnographist, University of Leipzig)
– “Nobody can come out of his nation’s history” (Jan Amery) (Huberta von
Voss, journalist, Berlin)
– “Red wool hats in Amassia” (Jochen Mangelsen, writer, Bremen)
– “My Armenia. A Memory” (Kurt Oesterle, writer, Tübingen)
– “Against the moment of rage” (Betinne Reichelt, writer, Leipzig)

The fourth section entitles “Speeches” includes two speeches delivered on
two separate occasions:
– “The portrait of hope: The Armenians” A presentation of Huberta von Voss’
Publication” (Bishop Dr. Wolfgang Huber, President of the Protestant Church
of Germany, Berlin)
– “Injuries of the past – signs of the future” (Helmut Donat, editor and
publisher, Bremen)

The following translations can be found in the fifth section on “Eyewitness
Accounts”:
– “The martyrdom of children” (Papken Indjearabian)
– “Black experiences – strong as death” (Hovhannes Balian)
– “Golgatha: The dreadful year of the Turkish-Armenian clergymen and its
community (Nor Ghevontiank)” (Theotig)
– “The plan of extermination of Turkish Armenians” (Rev. Fr. Krikoris
Balakian)
– “On the path of blood” (Guiregh Khrayian)
– “Episodes from real life” (Rev. Fr. Krikor Faradjian)

The last part of the publication, the Annex, includes the following
documents:
– The position of the Assembly of European Churches on the occasion of the
90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
– “Remembering for the sake of reconciliation”:
– The statement of the Council of Evangelical Churches of Germany on the
occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
– “Armenia Verdict”: The statement of the PEN International Writer’s
Association.
– “Memory of the 90th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian
deportation and massacres”: Resolution presented by the German party CDU-CSU
– Text of the debate in the German Parliament, topic number 6, discussions
around the resolution of CDU/CSU, 21 April 2006.
– “Transforming the memory of the Armenian fate to a starting point for
reconciliation”: The statement of the SPD party.
– “Memory of the deportation and massacres of Armenians (1915): Germany
should help reconciliation between Turks and Armenians”: The resolution of
the SPD, CDU/CSU, BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN and FDP parties.

The above publication, the first book in German to come out of the
Catholicosate of Cilicia’s publishing house, is proof of the expanding
international efforts of the Catholicosate. It introduces authors to the
viewpoints and knowledge present in German intellectual circles in relation
to the Armenian Genocide.

The Imperial Government of Germany was an ally of the Ottoman Empire during
the First World War and an accomplice in the Armenian Genocide. The current
Federal Republic of Germany, which holds about 2.5 million Turks or
Turkish-Germans within its boundaries, has friendly relations with the
Republic of Turkey. It is only recently that Germany started to review these
friendly ties, particularly in light of Turkey’s EU bid. Thus, it was on 21
April 2005 that Germany officially debated the Armenian Genocide in its
Parliament for the first time and unofficially recognized the truth.

The Armenian Genocide has started to be widely discussed in Germany. The
media often talk about the subject and interested and knowledgeable people
can be found in student circles. Scholars and publishers continue their work
in the field.

The Turkish side does not remain silent, however. Fanatic Turks organized
unsuccessful protests against Armenian “lies” on March 15 and 18 of this
year. Amid the interest of Germans in the issue and the denial of Turks
living in Germany, this publication will no doubt play an important role.

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View photo here: tm
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The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the books
published in the Printing House of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer
to the web page of the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.