SOCIETY

October 20, 2024 was recorded in the city memory of Kütahya as the day that priest Gomidas was remembered publicly for the first time in his birthplace. Gomidas begins his autobiography with the lines, “I was born on September 26, 1869 in the city of Gudina (Kütahya) in Asia Minor, they named me Soğomon.” Based on this document, many Armenians in the past went to Kütahya to see the city where Gomidas was born, and if they could, even the house where he was born. This time, we hit the road to Kütahya as a guest of the Kütahya City Council History, Cultural Heritage and Local Values ​​Working Group.

There has been an important development regarding the Maryakop Armenian Church Foundation, which was established to manage the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem’s properties in Turkey but was given the status of “fused foundation” (foundation with no service left) by the General Directorate of Foundations (GDF) in 1973. A court ruling finalized that the foundation would not be deemed as an fused foundation. Following the decision, the General Directorate of Foundations sent a letter to the relevant places stating that the Maryakop Foundation will be removed from the status of fused foundation and will be registered as an active community foundation.

The Leavetaking (Apodosis) of the Dormition of the Theotokos was commemorated at the historic Monastery of Panagia Soumela in Trabzon, Turkey. Nationalist circles oppose the mass almost every year. This year, the mass was postponed to August 23. The mass was held without the participation of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos.

This is not a classic family history search story. Uskan investigates her grandmother, who passed away when Uskan was 16, and whose Armenian identity she knew nothing about because grandmother kept it a secret, and of course her mother Maria, in her village, through official documents and possible church records. This is a search that considers it natural not to find anything because it Uskan aware of what has happened. She wanders through the narrow streets of Adana, the dilapidated corridors of the Apkarian School, and the wild nature of the countryside, turning the camera into a hand that touches the present.

The restoration of the Surp Sarkis Armenian Church in Diyarbakır began with prayers. The prayer was led by Sahak Maşalyan, the Patriarch of the Armenian community in Turkey. Patriarch Maşalyan also delivered messages about the Armenians' history in the region.

The first step towards the renovation of the Surp Sarkis Armenian Church, which has been in ruins for years in Diyarbakır (Dikranagerd), will be taken on June 13. Work will begin with the funds allocated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. However, additional resources need to be found to complete the project.

Rakel Dink, who made the opening speech of the "Minority Rights in the Centennial of the Republic" conference organized by the Hrant Dink Foundation, touched upon the release of Ogün Samast, the perpetrator of the Hrant Dink murder, 16 years and 10 months after the assassination. Rakel Dink said, "Our quest of justice in Hrant’s case has never been that this or that person is given three or five years more or less. Since day one, we said this darkness should be questioned. We said delivering justice in this case is essential to the democratization of this country. In the wake of what happened, how can we possibly wish that this decision brings all the best to our country?"

Garo Paylan, deputy of Peoples’ Democratic Party, defines new electoral regulation for minority foundations as an imposition.

The restoration work at the Üç Horan (Surp Yerrortutyun) Armenian Church in Malatya has been completed. The building, which will serve as both a church and a cultural center, will host the first Mass in decades, on August 29.

Hrant Dink's commemoration was held online this year due to the pandemic. Hrant Dink's wife Rakel Dink made a speech in front of the headquarters of Agos, where Hrant Dink was murdered. She emphasised the responsibility of the state in the assassination of Hrant Dink. Here is the Rakel Dinks's speech.