The Advocate
October 18, 2007 Thursday
Main Edition
Patriarch speaks out on genocide
by WILLIAM TAYLOR; Assistant People editor;
The debate about how to label the killing of Armenians nearly a
century ago isn’t only about history, said the leader of the
worldwide Armenian church.
Recognizing the horror of what happened then is also about the
present and the future, explained His Holiness Karekin II during a
visit to Baton Rouge on Wednesday.
The spiritual leader to 7 million Armenian Christians worldwide is on
a monthlong tour of the United States to encourage and exhort
congregations here – especially smaller congregations such as the
tiny Louisiana church based in Baton Rouge.
However, with Congress considering the ramifications of officially
branding what happened in 1915 and the years following as genocide,
Karekin, 55, has taken opportunities to speak out on the issue.
If instead of opposing efforts to recognize the killing of 1.5
million Armenians as genocide, Turkey would acknowledge and condemn
it, the result would be greater opportunities for peace and healing –
not just for the republics of Turkey and Armenia, but also the rest
of the world, he said.
"The negative attitude or (Turkey’s) negative stance on this issue
always contains within it the danger that a similar event, that a
similar crime, can take place within the life of humanity," Karekin
said. "And it pains us to be the witnesses of an event such as that
taking place today in Darfur in the Sudan."
His views match those of genocide scholars who also warn that failure
to acknowledge genocide can lead to more of it.
"Denial is the final stage of genocide," said Gregory Stanton, who
leads two organizations committed to studying and opposing such
events. He is president of Genocide Watch in Washington, D.C., as
well as the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
Stanton said he wished Congress would proceed with the resolution
labeling the killings by the Ottoman Empire genocide and use it as a
warning that similar attacks by modern Turkey on the Kurdish
population of Iraq will not be tolerated.
That appears unlikely with reports Wednesday that many lawmakers are
withdrawing support because of worries that antagonizing Turkey, a
U.S. ally, could have negative repercussions in Iraq.
Nevertheless, Karekin said he appreciated the support of those
lawmakers who gave it.
Likewise, Armenian Christians in Louisiana, though interested in the
debate in Washington, were more focused on the historic visit of
their spiritual patriarch whom they also call "the catholicos."
Karekin spent the morning helping paint a Habitat For Humanity House
in New Orleans. He has close ties with the agency and has seen 37
Habitat homes built in Armenia in each of the last two years with
plans to build twice that next year.
In Baton Rouge, he participated in services Wednesday night at the
St. Garabed Armenian Church of Louisiana, 6208 Florida Blvd.
"It’s a once in a lifetime happening for the catholicos visiting us –
especially for a small congregation," said Vasken Kaltakdjian, church
chairman. "We are not New York or Boston or Los Angeles."
The church, which dedicated its current building about a year and a
half ago, has about 120 members and meets usually once a month with
services led by a priest who comes in from Florida. Most of the
members come from New Orleans or Baton Rouge, though some travel from
as far away as Shreveport.
For many of the church members such as Tamar Meguerditchian, 25, of
Destrehan, this was a first opportunity to meet Karekin. She called
it a "thrill" and an honor. "I don’t have any poetic words. It’s just
something I felt inside."
Her family’s story is typical of those belonging to many Louisiana
Armenians. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon, where
many Armenians had settled following the violence in Turkey. She and
her brother were born and grew up in Louisiana.
As a girl, Meguerditchian always chose Armenia when a class
assignment required the study of a country. "I made it pretty much my
mission to educate people about who we are."