An Appeal from the Religious Leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Catholic Church And The Armenian Evangelical Union Of The Western United States Of America:
Easter and the 96th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
In April of this year, the Armenian people will mark two very important days in history; Easter and the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. While the Armenian Genocide is one of the darkest days of modern history, Easter is one of the brightest in the history of mankind. This year, in a rare coincidence and for the first time since the Genocide, both of these days will fall on April 24th.
As Christians, on April 24th we will celebrate the Glorious Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the salvation of mankind. On that same day, as Armenians, we will commemorate the rebirth of our people from the ashes of merciless genocide. We will mark our resurrection as a people from the persecution that nearly consumed us a century ago. With our survival, we, the sons and daughters of our ancient nation, behold and honor the visionary spirit and the undying legacy of our martyrs.
As children of the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion, on this Holy Day of Easter, we call upon our Christian brothers and sisters as well as people of all faiths to pray with us for the two million Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Pontians, and Greeks, who fell victim to the Ottoman Empire’s World War I-era genocide of its Christian minorities, and for justice and peace to prevail in our world.
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
Very Reverend Father Krikor Chahinian
Reverend Joseph D. Matossian
