Annual pilgrimage, Mass at Holy Cross church on Akhtamar canceledAugust 25, 2015 - 08:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The annual pilgrimage and Mass at the Holy Cross Armenian Church on Van’s Akhtamar Island—originally scheduled for Sept 3—has been postponed indefinitely, due to security concerns, according to the Armenian Weekly. The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople said in a statement that the pilgrimage, which began in 2010, will not take place this year. “Considering the rise of terrorist attacks and deaths in the region in recent days…the Patriarchate has decided to postpone the pilgrimage to a later date,” the statement reads. The Holy Cross Church underwent a controversial restoration between May 2005 and October 2006, with a stated budget of 2 million Turkish lira (about $1.4 million), financed by Turkey’s Ministry of Culture. The church officially reopened as a museum in March 2007 in a ceremony attended by the Turkish Minister of Culture, government officials, Patriarch Mesrob II, a delegation from Armenia, and a group of journalists from news organizations around the world. Several Armenian religious leaders who were invited to the opening ceremony decided to boycott the event, protesting the fact that it was being reopened as a secular museum rather than a church. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Eastern U.S. Central Committee and the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party Eastern District USA issued a joint statement calling the reopening “an occasion not for celebration, but for consternation” and welcome the decision to boycott the “travesty.” There was also controversy over the Turkish government’s decision not to place a cross atop the church; there hasn’t been a cross on the Holy Cross Armenian Church since 1915. The first Mass at the church was allowed to be held on Sept 19, 2010. Despite the lack of official numbers from that day, Turkish newspapers estimated the presence of up to 5,000 people. Thousands of pilgrims from Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora were expected to attend the ceremony this year, as it is the centennial of the Armenian Genocide. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). |