On Fri., June 20, some 600 commissioners to the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), meeting in Detroit, Mich., adopted with near unanimity a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide and adopting the 2015 church calendar designating April 26 as the day for its observance. It also directed the church’s Mission Agency to prepare educational and liturgical resources for member churches in preparation for the event.
This historic resolution, which was the first of its kind for a major American church body, was adopted by the 1.8 million-member church. It originated in the local presbyteries of Los Ranchos (Anaheim, Calif.), Chicago, and Palisades (New Jersey), and was sent on to the national body for adoption. Two overture advocates who played a vital role in this regard were Rev. Dr. Christine Chakoian (Chicago Presbytery) and Rev. Dr. Vartkes Kassouni (Los Ranchos Presbytery). Dr. Chakoian is the senior pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest, Ill. Dr. Kassouni is retired, and at present the parish associate of the Tustin Presbyterian Church of Tustin, Calif. Central to the development and writing of the resolution (called an overture) was the staff of the Jinishian Memorial Program (Eliza Minassian, director, and Cara Taylor, coordinator) and the World Mission Agency of the Presbyterian Church (USA), with Greg Allen-Pickett the general manager of operations.
Assisting Rev. Drs. Chakoian and Kassouni was Rev. Fr. Garabed Kocharian, pastor of St. John’s Armenian Church of Southfield, Mich. They spoke on Mon., June 16, before the meeting of the Peacemaking and International Relations Committee, which had to hear, debate, and approve the resolution, and then send it on to the plenary session for final adoption. Their presentations were coordinated, first in an “open hearing” where Chakoian and Kochakian spoke, and then in the action phase where Kassouni spoke calling on the Assembly to take this historic step and recognize the massacres of 1.5 million as “the first genocide of the 20th century.”
The overture includes four key points: One, it urges member congregations to recognize the Armenian Genocide, express deep sympathy to the Armenian people, and designate April 24 every year as the day of remembrance, and honors the provisions of American and international law in this regard. Two, it supports the designation of “genocide” for the death of 1.5 million Armenians and the expulsion of 1 million more from the Ottoman Empire in the years 1915-23.
Three, it directs the stated clerk of the General Assembly to call on the president and the Congress of the United States of America to recognize and condemn the death and expulsion of the Armenians, and to communicate this resolution to our ecumenical partners nationally and internationally. Four, it directs the Presbyterian Mission Agency to encourage appropriate observance of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide (subsequently choosing April 26, 2015) in the churches, with accompanying educational and cultural forms of remembrance, noting the important role played in this endeavor by the Jinishian Memorial Program.
The resolution received great support by the committee during its hearings and action. The Plenary Session affirmed its recommendation and adopted it with no opposition. This was a rare occasion when three Armenian clergy (two Protestant and one Apostolic) stood together in strong cooperative witness and support on behalf of the Armenian people. The process took a long time, starting in January 2014, and worked its way up to the General Assembly in June. It’s a great tribute to cooperative, consistent, intelligent, and dedicated effort on behalf of our Armenian people, past and present.
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I and all the civilized world are very grateful to the Lord that He saw fit to move the Presbyterian Community of the USA to recognize the Armenian Holocaust almost a century after this human tragedy. This is a first step which God willing will be followed by more active participation by other communities and particularly the Administration to put pressure on the Turkish Government to do likewise. The Armenians suffered as much as the Jews during their Holocaust which the whole world recognizes. It is time for them too to lend a hand to their brothers, the Armenians in this regard. Well done Presbyterians. Saba E. Demian, M.D. (A Coptic Orthodox)
How about the insane and ignorant vote to divest in companies doing business with Israel ! Israel is the only democracy and friend of the Presbyterians and United States in the Middle East.look at the treatment of Christians of all faiths and the destruction of their churches in the Muslim Middle East.then look at Israel’s treatment and care for Christians ,gays and related religious sites in Israel. believe me if the Palestinian Muslims had a chance they would destroy all “infidels” and their holy sites in Israel.the Presbyterians should instead invest and thank the Jews for all they are doing.
Irving:
Your post does not reflect reality.
{“ Israel’s treatment and care for Christians…”}
‘Care’ for Christians ? Are you serious ?
1. [ Ultra-Orthodox spitting attacks on Old City clergymen becoming daily.
Clergymen in the Armenian Church in Jerusalem say they are victims of harassment, from senior cardinals to priesthood students; when they do complain, the police don’t usually find the perpetrators.] (Haaretz Nov. 4, 2011)
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/ultra-orthodox-spitting-attacks-on-old-city-clergymen-becoming-daily-1.393669
2. {FROM THE ANCA DESK: Protest Israeli Seizure of Armenian Church Property in Bethlehem}
{In a troubling expansion of Israeli military control into historically Armenian owned land, the Israeli Army has seized Armenian Church property in the northern outskirts of Bethlehem.
The land, known as Baron Der, is an Armenian Apostolic Church administrative center, religious retreat, training center, income-producing orchard, and archaeological site that holds great meaning to the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Armenian Apostolic Catholicosates in Etchmiadzin and Cilicia, the government of Armenia, and Armenians throughout the world.}(ANCA.org 2002-08-03)
There are many more similar examples, but those two should suffice to disabuse you of the myth that the State of Israel cares anything about Christians.
As to the divestment call: I am not sure what the details of that are, but do not blame the Presbyterians.
Blame the crazies that seem to have taken over the leadership of the Jewish State in recent years.
Even US Secretary of State John Kerry, himself half-Jewish, said this:
{If a two-state solution isn’t agreed upon soon, Israel will risk becoming “an apartheid state,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday while speaking before a closed forum.} (Haaretz Apr. 28, 2014)
Seeing that you are here seeking some sympathy, here is some important information and recommendation for you as a pious Jew. Before discussing and complaining what the Presbyterian church is up to, you need to:
1. In regards to the Armenian Genocide, be repulsed by the policies of Israel and its associated organizations in the US (such as AIPAC and ADL) for being:
a. Genocide deniers.
b. Actively working to stop Genocide recognition aka obstruction of justice.
2. Assuming you make it past and given number one above, work to correct the vile and hypocritical stance of your nation and its associated organizations in the US in Genocide denial, which is bringing a bad name to your people, not to mention already having caused great harm to Armenians worldwide.
3. Work/lobby/pressure your nation of Israel to also stop its dishonorable policy of arming a terrorist state known as Azerbaijan for the pursuit of profit, which is also harming the Armenian nation and bringing terrorism and death to its citizens at the border on a regular basis.
Are you up for the task?
This is admittedly a positive development. It is merely a moral victory as I seriously doubt if it is going to have any impact on the stance of the US government.
– House resolution 252 seems to have died in the committee and never made it to the floor of the House representatives.
– Recently passed Senate resolution 410 by the Senate Foreign Relations committee is languishing on the Senate Legislative Calendar and does not appear that it will make the Senate floor.
Disappointing and very sad.
With the current dangerous escalation of conflict between Russia and the US because of the Ukraine, the importance of the NATO bases in Turkey ( 24 of them) will continue to heavily influence the morale integrity of the US administration and the President.
Vart Adjemian
The geopolitical positions of both Armenia and Israel are similar, because both are small islands surrounded by hostile Moslem states intent on committing Genocide against them. Unfortunately, there is no meaningful affiliation. Israel until the rise of Islamic Turkey had an understandable strategic relationship with the official inventors of mass Genocide, Turkey.
I call upon Jewry of the world to see Turkey for what she is. Yes, the Ottomans may for reasons of self interest have sheltered the dhimmi Jews of 1492, but let’s face it, its been 500 years of terror, dhimmitude, and oppression. Just yesterday the Israeli consular and Embassy staffs were ordered home due to ostensibly popular uprisings stage managed by Erdogan; Mein Kampf is a perennial best seller, and last week a popular Turkish female folk singer praised Hitler and she was seconded by the Mayor of Ankara.
This is a Nazi-lite society.
Israel knows what Turkey is. Turkey holds all of its Christian and Jewish citizens as hostages, and views them all as foreigners, despite the fact that Jews have been there over 500 years and the Christian Armenian, Assyrian and Greeks go back for millenia before they were Christians.
Recognize the Genocide. State honestly and openly what we are dealing with. Turkey today is what Germany would have become had Hitler died of syphilis, undefeated.
Israel has written off the Jews of Turkey.
The comments on divestment moved us from the core issue that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is the first denomination in the United States to take this action. In addition, the body also set April 26, 2015, as a Sunday of remembrance for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The denomination will be providing education, cultural and worship materials to aid congregations in this remembrance.