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Patriarch Comments on the Joint Communique

The Joint Communique signed, on 10 November 2000, by Their Holinesses Pope John Paul II of the Holy See of Rome and Catholicos Karekin II of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, has been a major news item in the Turkish media for the past two days. Press circles have been continuously applying to the press office of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, asking for a comment on the Joint Communique. The following is the statement issued by His Beatitude Mesrob II, Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and all Turkey:

STEADFAST IN OUR PRAYERS

“We read the text of the Joint Communique in the press. As we did not participate in this ecumenical meeting, we were not aware of the text of the common declaration made by the heads of the two Churches. Nevertheless, it had been our wish that the deliberations in Rome would be within the spheres of ecumenical dialogue and would not touch upon politically sensitive issues. The Joint Communique could have taken this point into consideration.

The Gospel calls for the eradication of the roots of bitterness from our hearts. As the faithful live side by side with other Christians and with the adherents of other faiths, it is the duty of the Church to establish an atmosphere of reciprocal love and respect, where all humankind could engage in a dialogue of life.

The deep pain inherited from the past cannot be the only basis for the edification of the present and the future of Armenians around the world. If this were the case, then the centuries-old creative Armenian heritage would be considered bankrupt. Yet, just the opposite is true. The Armenian Church and Armenian culture are so rich and deeply rooted in the Christian faith that they do not need to receive nourishment from the bitter pages of history. Rather than just reminding our children of historic tragedies, as
Christian ministers, it is our primary duty to transmit our rich heritage to our children, to make this heritage alive and develop it for future generations.

We continue to pray with these thoughts.

MESROB II
“Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul”

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