April 24 - Feast of the Holy Resurrection of Jesus Christ and Memorial Day of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide
On April 24, the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ and commemorated the memory of one and a half million martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, accompanied by the Members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, visited the National Memorial to the Armenian Genocide, located on Tsitsernakaberd Hill in Yerevan. The clergyman, led by the Pontiff of All Armenians, and with the presence of Mr. Serzh Sargsian, President of the Republic of Armenia and state officials, offered the Repose of Souls Service.
Following the visit to the Genocide Memorial, His Holiness returned to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to preside over celebrations of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Present for the Easter Divine Liturgy were Mr. Serzh Sargsian, President of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Hovik Abrahamian, Speaker of the Republic of Armenia National Assembly, Mr. Tigran Sargsian, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Gagik Haroutiunian, President of the Constitutional Court , as well as representatives of the National Assembly and major branches of Government as well members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, ambassadors and leaders of diplomatic missions accredited to Armenia, representatives of international organizations, academia and the arts.
The Pontifical Canopy Bearers were Mr. Stepan Ovanesov, Benefactor from London,England; Mr. Karen Nazarian, Director of the Armenian Round Table Interchurch Foundation; and Mr. Manvel Ter-Arakelian.
Assisting His Holiness during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy were His Eminence Archbishop Yeznik Petrosian, General Secretary of the Bible Society in Armenia and His Grace Bishop Arshak Khachatrian, Grant Sacristan of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. During the celebration of the Divine Liturgy the Pontiff of All Armenians extended his Pontifical message to all the Armenian people worldwide. His Holiness reflected on the feast and on the mystery of the Glorious Resurrection in the life of the Armenian nation, also proclaiming the "good news" of the Glorious Resurrection of our Lord: "Through Christ’s resurrection, the chains of death have been broken; heavenly blessings and eternal gifts have been dispersed over the world. Inspiration, encouragement and confidence have been established within the souls of men; that the Risen Christ is with mankind with His boundless love, care and mercy, and His power to free them from evil, temptation and distress. Truly, where the Risen Lord is, there death is vanquished and life pours forth. Where the Risen Lord is, there is the victory of life and the joy and blessedness of eternity".
In his message the Armenian Pontiff stated that the power of Christ’s triumphant resurrection of our people rose from the Golgotha of the Genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey at the beginning of the 20th century. One and one half million Armenians were tragically tortured and crucified like our Lord, but they never renounced Christ.
Reflecting on the visit to the hilltop of Tsitsernakaberd on the commemoration day of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, His Holiness stated in part, "With the sacred mystery of Christ’s resurrection and our people’s hopes of reborn life, we visited our martyrs this morning at the hilltop of Tsitsernakaberd with the president of the Republic of Armenia, state officials, ambassadors and diplomats of foreign countries, and prayed for peace and rest for their souls, bearing the appreciation within our soul for all those nations, states and churches who have recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide; and appreciation for all those humane individuals, who often at great risk to their own lives, saved countless sons and daughters of our people from the jaws of death. Alongside all of our people, who today in all corners of the world are solemnly paying their respects to the memory of our innocent victims, we renewed our oath to tirelessly struggle for the universal recognition and condemnation of the Genocide of the Armenians and all genocidal acts committed against humanity".
The Pontiff of All Armenians also stated, "Before the inextinguishable memory of our martyrs, dear faithful, we are indebted to be greater determined in our responsibilities, service and mission. We are indebted to turn their aspirations and visions into reality. Our fathers dreamed of a homeland with free borders, where the Armenian people were secure and prosperous, where Armenian life was united and progressing, founded on cherished national values. Indeed, today when we have a free homeland, let us invest the stamina and energy to embody the yearning of our ancestors – the strengthening of our young, twenty year old state, the prosperous life of our people, the creation of a bright and luminous future, the defense of our right to live free, and for the victory of our righteous cause. In the international arena, our struggle for justice and our efforts for the good and creative life in Armenia and the Diaspora, however, will not be triumphant if justice and truth are not strong in our lives and in each of our souls. Justice and truth will bear good fruit when love and care for one another, the determination to deny sin and evil, and the vigilance toward moral values are all boundless and guiding in our lives.
The weakening of justice shakes the foundations of our divinely-created world and disturbs the natural and peaceful progress of life. Alongside the accomplishments, heroic deeds and breakthroughs on the long traversed path of mental and spiritual development of mankind, we still see ignored rights, need, enmity, economic crisis and war. The God-granted right of people to live in liberty is still being argued in the international arena. We witness this reality in the conflicts of various countries and within our national sphere in the protracted work to gain international recognition for the independence of the Republic of Nagorno Karabagh. The right of nations to live free is not merely a matter of dignity for human society, but also a guarantor of a world at peace", stated the Armenian Pontiff stated in part.
Stating that the glorious feast of the Resurrection of Christ is an invitation to all Christians throughout the world, the Armenian Pontiff encouraged Armenian descendants to remain steadfast in the graces gifted by the Risen Lord and unceasingly care for our nation, our Homeland and our Holy Church. He advised that we should take heed to strengthen Armenian families dispersed throughout the world in their faith, so that they increase and multiply in order to replenish the losses of our people.
On this sacred day, the Armenian Pontiff appealed to the Risen Lord to grant men the will and wisdom to overcome the temptations and difficulties of life, to find solutions to fundamental problems facing the world, and to protect our Homeland and our people throughout the world within His blessings, love and graces.
With the glad tidings of the Holy Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the pontiff of All Armenians extended his greetings to the incumbents of the hierarchal sees of the Holy Apostolic Church, to the clergyman and the spiritual heads of our Sister Churches.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a reception was hosted in the Alex and Marie Manoogian Museum, during which the Catholicos of All Armenians affirmed the life-giving news of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
