Pope Francis will preside at ancient rite next Easter to commemorate slaughter by Ottomans.
Beirut — Pope Francis today commemorated the centenary of the beginning of World War I, but Armenian Catholic bishops, gathered for their annual meeting of the Synod this week, spoke of another centenary: the Armenian genocide of 1915 to 1918, when more than a million Armenians were killed as the Ottoman Turk government purged the population.
Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX presided over the assembly, held in the patriarchal seat of the convent of Our Lady of Bzommar, a few miles from Beirut, Lebanon, and attended by 14 bishops and some apostolic administrators. During the assembly, the Bishops discussed the condition of suffering that Christian communities share with all the peoples of the Middle East.
Armenian Catholic Archbishop Boutros Marayati of Aleppo told Fides Agency on April 12, 2015, the first Sunday after Easter, there will be a Mass in the ancient Armenian rite celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to commemorate the centenary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Pope Francis is expected to preside at the liturgy, which will be attended by the Patriarch and all the bishops of the Armenian Catholic Church, as well as representatives of the Armenian Apostolic and Protestant Churchs, and faithful from all over the world.
"The dioceses and parishes are doing all they can to encourage the widest possible participation in this great celebration," Archbishop Marayati said.
