SOCIETY

The Armenian Apostolic Karasnits Mangants Church, Aleppo’s oldest Armenian Church has been targeted in a bomb attack.

Surp Badarak mass in memory of April 24 has been held at the Turkey Armenian Patriarchal Church. Led by Deputy Patriarch Aram Ateşyan, the ceremony was also attended by EU Minister Volkan Bozkır. President Erdoğan’s message was also read at the ceremony where white doves symbolizing peace were released and bells were rung 100 times.

The Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey has issued an invite via its official Facebook page for broad participation at mass to be held on 24 April, Friday, at the Kumkapı Virgin Mary Patriarchate Church.

The Patriarchate of the Armenians of Turkey will hold mass on April 24 in memory of ‘those who lost their lives in 1915’. In his speech at mass, Archbishop Aram Ateşyan will not use the term “Genocide” but will emphasize “shared pain”.

Foundations General Director Adnan Ertem has stated that, according to Article 40 of the Treaty of Lausanne, Armenian schools have special status, and that it is not possible to treat them as private schools; and that therefore, legal procedures applied to private schools cannot be applied to minority schools.

Within the scope of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemoration events, all Armenian Churches across the world will ring their bells at 19.15 on April 23, Thursday, in commemoration of the victims of the Genocide. However, the Istanbul Armenian Patriarchate is not participating in this commemoration ceremony.

Planning permission has been issued for the historical site in Germüş village, a former Armenian settlement 10 kilometres away from Urfa city centre.

The Hrant Dink School in the basement of the Gedikpaşa Armenian Evangelical Church where students from Armenia whose families have come to Turkey to work study under difficult conditions is waiting for the support of the Armenian community.

The State of Turkey, after having seized a building that belongs to the Bulgarian Exarchate Orthodox Church Foundation, is now demanding a fee in return for occupying the building for 3 years –after returning the building to the foundation. The Treasury has issued a 50 thousand TL fine to the foundation.

A new library in Bitlis will be named after William Saroyan. Journalist Ahmet Tulgar, who came up with the idea, reports that he met with Bitlis Co-Mayor Hüseyin Olan and discussed the idea for a library.