Ms. Teny Pirri-Simonian raises the rights of the Armenians at an ecumenical conference
08 Wednesday, September 17, 2008
World Council of Churches
Swiss Reformed Church
TENY PIRRI-SIMONIAN RAISES THE RIGHTS OF THE ARMENIANS
AT AN ECUMENICAL CONFERENCE
ANTELIAS, Lebanon – Within the framework of the Palestine-Israel Forum, the World Council of Churches and the Swiss Reformed Churches of Bern, Jura and Solothurn organized an International Theological Conference on “Promised Land” New Views on Israeli Palestinian Conflict and the Struggle for Land in Modern Times, from the 10th to the 14th of September 2008 in Bern. 85 Theologians and scholars from all continents were invited to discuss the question of land in the Bible. Discussions demonstrated deferent theological views on the understanding of the land in the Bible. These diverse views reflected the way the Bible has been read and interpreted in specific situations and contexts with regard to the Jewish people.
In order to examine the Biblical understanding of the land in its wider meaning, a panel discussed the three cases of Brazil, Palestine and South Africa as examples of new struggles for land. Mrs. Teny Pirri-Simonian, who represented the Catholicosate of Cilicia at the conference, moderated this panel. In her introduction, Mrs. Pirri-Simonian reminded the conference that the “promised land” is conditional on the Biblical mandate of abundant life built on justice and truthfulness, and that this understanding should show the participants that the cases of Brazil, Palestine and South Africa, along with the denial of the Armenian genocide and the rights of the Armenians to repossess their ancestral land by Turkey, represent both a negation of the Biblical promise to the land and a breach of the civil and legal rights of a people according to UN conventions.
The four-day conference ended with the determination to continue the reflection on “promised land” both locally and internationally.
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of the Armenian Orthodox Church. Its jurisdiction extends over the Armenian Communities in the Middle East, Europe and North and South America. The Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon. /// Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia - Communication and Information Department.
Contact: V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer.
Armenian Catholicosate Of Cilicia's Address
PO Box : 70 317 Antelias - LEBANON
Tel: (+961-4) 410 001 / 3
Fax: (+961-4) 419724
E-mail: info@armenianorthodoxchurch.org
http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org