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Archbishop Choloyan Issues Statement on Ricciardone Church Comment
NEW YORK (A.W.)—Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, Eastern United States, issued a statement on Aug. 15 in response to the comment by U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone that “most of the Christian churches functioning prior to 1915 are still operating as churches.”
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Most Italians are good decent people,this guy, must be a turkie, in Italian clothing,or a good stooge for them.
About time that American/Armenian clergy show moral courage to speak against blatant political immorality.
The statement issued should be followed up with a formal complaint to the state department. Our national interests have been robbed by Turks because we have not been united. I call upon all Armenians, find a way to unite our forces to protect our national interests in the globe.
Your Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, and
Your Eminence Moushegh Mardirossian:
Please accept my gratitude for speaking up and for setting the records straight in your justified answer to Ambassador Francis Ricciardone’s recent statement regarding the Armenian Churches in the Turkish Republic. History knows it only too well the dilapidated at best and the very neglectful 300,000 Armenian Churhes in Turkey for the past 100+ years.
Respectfully yours,
Seervart
It is gratifying to see our clergy provide public leadership on such an important issue. We need to turn this into a win by leveraging the recent visibility from the “return of churches” resolution into a concerted effort to regain control over our remaining churches. Let us unite(Prelacy and Diocese) to bring our influence to bear.
We can unite if we can understand the gravity of danger that has been directed to our existance!
Have no fear. I am sure that Senator Menendez and most probably Senator Boxer will put a hold on this nomination. How ignorant of Ricciardone, to think that his nonsense would be accepted as fact.
Absolutely… UNITED WE CAN WIN ALL FRONTS… So happy to see our leadership started to speak up on such an important issue as this….
I called and left a message for Mr. Riccardone’s voicemail expressing my frustration and dissapointement…Hope all of us follow that step… ANCA provided a phone number to call… go ahead and call …
God Bless…
Gayane
Mr. Riccardone, if you have not yet done so, read a copy of our Ambassador Henry Morgenthau’s
own book AMBASSSADOR MORGENTHAU’S STORY – certainly available via USA State Department. Read/learn what he faced, for such Ottoman mentality still exists even in today’s Turkish leaderships. Genocides continuing since they have not faced the justice for their crimes against humanity – the Turkish governments crimes of their inhumanity – unending, into today, 2011.
Mr. Riccardone, This may could be helpful to understand and feel more about Ottoman Empires acts on 1915 into today.
24 April 1915
The Armenian Genocide
On the 24 of April 1915, the Turks (The Ottoman Empire) committed the ugliest, most fierce full & powerful crime, the genocide against the Armenians & mankind, which was the greatest of the century. The idea of destroying Armenia and terminating the Armenians began on 1890.
1.5 million Armenians were killed, the Armenian leaders were assassinated, the writers were hung, the churches and houses burned, and the rest were sent to desert, without shelter, food or water, to die there.
Till this date, the Turks do not recognize their crime, the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Case committee & all the Armenians around the world are working to make the World hear, understand, evaluate, judge & accept Armenian Genocide.
Each year, the 24 of April is a memorial day, where all Armenians around the world, gather together in their countries and address the world about The Armenian Genocide and make the Turks understand that as far as there is an Armenian in this world, there will be someone who will never forget this Genocide & ask to recognize it.
As the Armenian writer, William Saroian said, “ I should like to see any power of the world that can destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard and whose prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia, see if you can do it. Send them into the desert, without bread and water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia”.
Respect to all who lost their lives, who are martyrs. Nobody can go back and make e new & bright beginning, but everybody can start now and make a happy ending.
Aram V. Tchaparian
this gentleman mr.riccardone should be assigned a new post…..
on the moon.