RA Embassy in Holy See participated in events dedicated to the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
Rome and Naples hosted various events that were dedicated to the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and held with the participation of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the Holy See, reported the press service of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Hayern Aysor.
On 23 April, representatives of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches, along with the clergymen of the Sant Egidio community, performed the first joint ritual dedicated to the memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide at the St. Bartholomew Church on Tiber Island. Among the participants were public and political figures and members of the Italian-Armenian community.
On 24 April, Archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe conveyed his welcoming speech to the faithful gathered at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church following the Lord’s Prayer said in front of the relics of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. In his speech, he expressed special gratitude to Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in the Holy See Michael Minasyan for returning the relics of Saint Gregory the Armenian to the initial chapel two years ago. The anthem devoted to the Saint was performed.
After the ceremony, the attendees headed towards the Armenian Genocide memorial where Cardinal Sepe said a prayer in memory of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. The prayers that Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis I had said at Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial were read. Among the attendees were members of the Armenian community of Naples.
A day before the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in the Holy See Michael Minasyan had also given an interview to the reputable La Stampa newspaper, recalling Pope Francis’s visit to Armenia and what that visit meant for the future.
The Ambassador stated the following; “The past can help us look towards the future, and for that the Armenians have been struggling unwaveringly for more than a century.” According to the Ambassador, if the tragedy that happened to the Armenian people 100 years ago was evaluated correctly as nations have been evaluating over the past decades, the situation facing the Christians in the Middle East would have probably been different today. Touching upon Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Ambassador Minasyan emphasized that the Armenians are waiting for the Turks to take that step and realize that the cultural and political diversity in the past were their wealth. “However, this common memory is always rejected and forgotten,” he said.
Reference: The St. Bartholomew Church is devoted to the Christian martyrs of the 20th century, and the relics of the latter are kept there and presented on the altars of the Church. Among those relics are the relics of two martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.