February 12, 2014

Representatives of the Catholicosate of Cilicia discuss the 100th Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide with the Moderator and General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC)

11 February 2014. On Monday, around the meeting of the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches held in Geneva, Archbishop Nareg Alemezian member of the Executive Committee and Ms. Teny Pirri-Simonian, member of the Central Committee, met with the Moderator Dr. Agnes Abuom and General Secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit to discuss the 10th Assembly Minute regarding the WCC’s commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

 

Archbishop Nareg conveyed the greetings of His Holiness Aram I and informed the Moderator and General Secretary of the activities that the Catholicosate of Cilicia has planned for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Genocide in 2015. This was followed by a presentation by Ms. Teny Pirri-Simonian, who is also President of ARMENOFAS, the Swiss-Armenian Foundation, of the plans of the Foundation and the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches to commemorate the Genocide next year in Switzerland, as discussed recently Rev. Dr. Gottfried Locher, by the President of The Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches, the ARMENOFAS Board, and His Holiness Aram I.

 

In view of the Minute adopted by the WCC 10th Assembly on the 100th Anniversary of the Genocide, it was decided: 1) to organize the international consultation recommended by the Assembly between February and March 2015; 2) to consider a theme on ‘Impunity’ that WCC had discussed and around which the Catholicosate of Cilicia had organized an international conference; 3) nominate a small committee to assist the staff in planning the conference.

 

The General Secretary agreed to invite the Armenian members of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches to accompany the staff in implement the recommendations of the assembly. They comprise Archbishop Vicken Aykazian and Ms. Paula Der Matevossian (Holy See Etchmiadzin) and Archbishop Nareg Alemezian and Ms. Teny Pirri-Simonian (Holy See of Cilicia).

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