February 16, 2006 - 15:28 AMT
Patriarch of Armenians of Constantinople Denounced Armed Attack on Armenian Church in Caesaria
Patriarch of Armenians of Constantinople, Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan denounced the armed attack on St. Grigor Illuminator Church in Kaizeria, Caesaria. In his words, those attacking scanned anti-Christian slogans and shot 10 bullets into the Church door. As the Istanbul Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church told PanARMENIAN.Net, the religious leader of Armenians of Turkey links the attack with the tension over the publishing of Prophet Muhammad's cartoons in European countries. «Islamic circles, of course, have the right to voice their outrage over the cartoons, however armed attack at prayerful places belonging to national minorities is not quite comprehensible. Any demonstration of violence cannot be justified in any way and is to be censured,» says the statement disseminated by the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. Local authorities took security measures and established guards of the Armenian Church immediately.