Aram I served liturgy for Armenian Genocide victims in St. Gregory the Illuminator Church

April 24, 2010 - 16:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Catholicos of the Great House of Kilikia Aram I served a liturgy for the Armenian Genocide victims in St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Lebanon on April 24. A religious procession was organized after the liturgy with participation of representatives of the Armenian community of Lebanon.

In his address to the attendants, Aram I said: “Our people shall speak only one language with Turkey, which has been pursuing a twofaced policy – that is a language of claims.”

On April 23, students of all Armenian schools of Lebanon prayed for the Armenian Genocide victims.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.