Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia have both written letters to German leaders to express their appreciation and gratitude on the occasion of Bundestag’s adoption of a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide on June 2. Karekin II wrote a letter to the speaker of the Bundestag while Aram I addressed his letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In his letter to Merkel, Aram I said: “Today’s overwhelming vote by Germany’s Bundestag lower house of parliament, declaring the killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces in 1915 a genocide, is of historical significance. It demonstrates the commitment of Germany to human rights and shows the world the responsible way of dealing with one’s own past.”
He then reminded the Chancellor that the Catholicosate of Cilicia was a major victim of the Ottoman atrocities of 1915. He noted that his predecessor Catholicos Sahak II and the clergy were forced to leave their 700-year-old See with the faithful, and that, since then, the Catholicosate, resettled in Lebanon, has been accompanying its faithful spiritually as they have integrated into their new societies in the diaspora.
Referring to the positive role of the Churches in Germany, Catholicos Aram I added, “As Moderator of the World Council of Churches, I had the privilege of observing the strong commitment of the churches in Germany to justice and to the struggle against impunity.”
Catholicos Aram I concluded his letter by thanking the Chancellor on behalf of the Armenian Church and the people for their efforts to confront injustice and to accompany the uprooted and the homeless.
His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, sent a letter of appreciation to Norbert Lammert, President of the German Bundestag, praising the good will expressed by German political and public figures and the people in the restoration of historical justice.
His Holiness stressed that “This resolution towards the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide is not only an important step for once again proving the historical reality of the genocide perpetrated against the Armenian people in the 20th century, but also in preventing the recurrence of such crimes from history. The decision taken is a great witness and an invitation to the world, to resist and reject the denialist policy regarding the crimes perpetrated against humanity in different corners of the world.”
“We extend our blessings and appreciation to the members of the German Bundestag and all the benevolent people, wishing them unending will and zeal in the divine mission of human universal values and rights protection,” he concluded.
