Aram I welcomes Clinton’s call on Turkey to return Christian properties

PanARMENIAN.Net - His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, has commended U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's statement of concern regarding Turkey's confiscation of religious properties, and offered assistance in securing their rightful return, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a November 5 letter to Secretary Clinton, His Holiness Aram I referenced earlier correspondence between the Secretary and the ANCA regarding confiscated church properties, in which she had expressed "concern regarding the restoration of previously confiscated properties to religious minority communities."

"We warmly welcome this courageous initiative," stated His Holiness, and went on to note: "The Holy See of Cilicia, which was violently uprooted from its centuries-old Seat, remains the legal owner and spiritual steward for numerous churches, monasteries, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, orphanages, monuments, cemeteries, and other religious sites and properties across the Armenian lands currently within the borders of present-day Turkey. These properties, as well as countless movable assets – among them spiritual and cultural treasures – were illegally seized from the Armenian Church by the Ottoman Turkish Empire starting in the 1890's and extending through the entire Armenian Genocide (1915). Indeed, the tragic history of mass murder in Turkey, as well as the confiscation and desecration of religious sites is well documented by governments, churches and academic institutions around the world, including, we understand, in the vast archival holdings of the U.S. Department of State."

His Holiness concluded his letter by offering "assistance in this worthy endeavor as your government seeks to secure the return by Turkey of confiscated religious properties to their rightful owners."

"We greatly value the profound and powerful spiritual leadership of Vehapar Aram I, the Great House of Cilicia, and the Prelacies of the Armenian Apostolic Church in America in seeking the rightful return of stolen church properties," said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. "Neither time nor terror diminishes the rights of the Armenian nation. For, just as there is no legal statute of limitations on genocide, so too is there no moral limit upon our pursuit of justice."