PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of the UK
Email: [email protected]
‘WALES, UK, COMMEMORATES THE MARTYRS OF THE 1915 GENOCIDE’
On Friday, April 23, Very Reverend Dr. Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate,
travelled to Wales, UK, for the commemorations of the Armenian
Genocide of 1915. The representatives of the Armenian community in
Wales, headed by Mr. John Torosyan, welcomed Fr. Vahan at the Cardiff
Temple of Peace, where the Genocide Monument is located.
The day-long commemoration started with a visit to the statue of the
Virgin Mary at Penrhys. There, the group was greeted by Mrs. Sharon
Reece, General Secretary of the United Reform Church in Penrhys. This
church played a central role in starting the recognition movement in
Wales, and produced a special liturgy for the Armenian martyrs of the
genocide. Following a brief prayer at the statue, Fr. Vahan thanked
Mrs. Reece for the United Reform Church’s support of the Genocide
recognition process.
At around 6:00pm the delegation returned to the Temple of Peace,
Cardiff, where a group of Church dignitaries and government officials
were gathered with members of the Armenain community for a requiem
service in memory of the martyrs. Present around the Khachkar in the
front yard of the Temple of Peace were, Canon Patrick Thomas, Vicar of
St Peter’s Church, Carmarthen; Rev Dafydd Henri Edwards, the Baptist
Union of Wales, Revd Dr Trystan Owain Hughes, Chaplain, Cardiff
University; Stephen Thomas, Director of the Welsh Centre for
International Affairs; Jenny Randerson, Assembly Member; Councillor
Mohammed Sarul. The Primate greeted the crowd and invited them to join
him in the traditional Hokehangist service, in memory of the martyrs.
Following the Requiem, the crowd was escorted to the Library of the
Temple of Peace for a fellowship hour. Mr. John Torosyan welcomed all
present and conveyed the regrets of Mr. Eilian Williams, the leader of
the campaign for the recognition of the genocide in Wales, who
regrettably could not be present being en route to Turkey to
participate in human right conference in Istanbul and Ankara as the
guest of the Human Rights Association of Istanbul. In an unprecedented
gesture of solidarity, the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, had
sent a message to the Armenians in Wales in remembrance of the
Armenian Genocide. Mr. Torosyan read the letter to those gathered at
the fellowship. The First Minister’s message is a remarkable milestone
in the history of Wales government’s support of the recognition of the
Genocide. He then invited Canon Brown to address the community. After
a brief speech highlighting the similarities in the history and faith
of the peoples of Wales and Armenia, Canon Brown presented Fr. Vahan
with a hand carved Celtic Cross as an expression of welcome. Fr. Vahan
in turn reciprocated the favor by presenting Canon Thomas with a
replica of an Armenian Khachkar.
The fellowship was an opportunity also for the Armenian community in
Cardiff to meet their new Primate and receive his blessings. At the
end of the evening Fr. Vahan thanked the organizers of the visit, the
government and church representatives and the Armenian community for
their continuous support of the Armenian cause, and promised to visit
Cardiff soon again. Accompanying Fr. Vahan was Dn. Stephan Ovanessoff
and Mr. Armenag Topalian of the St. Sarkis Trsut.