ARMENIAN CHURCH NOT TO TAKE PART IN THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE SURB KHACH CHURCH
By M. Makarian

AZG Armenian Daily
27/03/2007

By the mediation of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia, the Catholicosate
of St. Echmiadzin received an invitation on the name of Catholicos of
All Armenians Garegin II from Governor of Van Mehmet Niyazi Tanilir
to take part in the ceremony of opening of the Surb Khach church.

"Azg" received the following response of press center of the
Catholicosate: "Taking into consideration that the church, restored
by the Turkish Government, will be henceforth turned a museum and not
function as a church under the Armenian Patriarchy of Constantinople,
that the opening ceremony will be held in secular ways and not by
the order of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Catholicosate of
St. Echmiadzin shall not take part in the ceremony".

These action of the Turkish authorities, aimed against the religious
feelings of the Armenian people, cannot be considered as a step
towards improvement of the relations between Armenia and Turkey,
also says the message of the Catholicosate.

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia also made an official statement
that no delegation on its part will be sent to take part in the
church’s opening ceremony, as "Turkey utterly denies the historical
deed of the Armenian Genocide".
From: Baghdasarian