SYRIAC ORTHODOX PATRIARCH CALLS ON GERMANY TO RECOGNIZE ASSYRIAN, GREEK, ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Assyrian International News Agency AINA
April 21 2015
Posted 2015-04-20 23:30 GMT
Archbishop Vicken Aykazian (L) and Archbishop Khajag Barsamian (R)
with His Holiness Ignatius Aphrem II Karim in New York.Berlin (AINA) —
In an open letter to the German government, Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem
II, the supreme head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, has called on
Germany to recognize the genocide of Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks
perpetrated by Ottoman Turks during World War One. The letter was
addressed to German President Joachim Gauck, Chancellor Angela Merkel,
and Parliament President Norbert Lammert.
In the letter the Patriarch expressed astonishment that the term
Genocide should be avoided for political reasons in a resolution
prepared by the governing coalition parties and planned for adoption on
Friday, April 24th in the German parliament. The Patriarch appealed to
the conscience of the German people, saying 1.5 million Armenians and
more than 500,0001 Assyrians of different denominations fell victim
to the first genocide of the 20th century. Monasteries, churches,
villages and houses were systematically wiped out.
“By denying this genocide,” said the Patriarch in his letter, “one
contributes to the fulfillment of the evil plan of those who executed
this genocide…Germany, like no other state and society in the world,
faced the sad truths of its history paving the way for reconciliation
between peoples.”
Here is the full text of the letter:
It is with great interest that we follow the ongoing debate in Germany
concerning the Genocide that occurred in the Ottoman Empire starting
from the year 1915. However, we are greatly astonished to hear that
the word “Genocide” is being avoided due to political reasons.
During these dark years, our church lost the majority of its faithful.
The wound caused by this Genocide which we call in our Syriac-Aramaic
language “Sayfo”, was never healed due to the persistent denial of
the very fact of the Genocide by the Turkish state until today.
The result of this first Genocide of the20th century was the loss of
1.5 million Armenians, about 500.000 Syriac speaking Christians and
thousands of Christians of different ethnicities and denominations.
Our monasteries, churches, villages and houses fell prey to the
systematic attempt to erase Christian life from its cradle. Today only
few thousand Christians remain in Turkey, while many monasteries and
churches are destroyed or confiscated.
We are writing to you because Germany, like no other state and society
in the world, faced the sad truths of its history paving the way for
reconciliation between peoples. When we ask for recognition, we ask
for the beginning of a reconciliation process. To us, as well as to our
Armenian brothers and sisters, this chapter of our history has become
part of our identity. By denying this genocide, one contributes to the
fulfillment of the evil plan of those who executed this genocide. Our
people did not pose any threat to the Ottoman Empire.
They were victimized based on racist policies and a political will to
exterminate Christianity in the former Ottoman Empire in what amounts
to a religio-ethnic cleansing of our people.
Today, as the Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, we call upon the
living consciousness of the German people not to turn a blind eye on
truth, but to open their hearts to the suffering of an entire people.
We also call upon you as the highest representatives of this people
to show that values of democracy have to be defended and promoted
globally and not selectively.
May the spirit of truth and courage guide you in your decision.
Ignatius Aphrem II Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Supreme Head
of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church
1 Editor’s note: the actual figure is 750,000 Assyrians (75%), as
well as 500,000 Greeks and 1.5 million Armenians.