This short documentary is the story of how in 1923 Armenians in London with the help of philanthropist Calouste Gulbenkian built a place of worship and communal gathering as one of the first steps towards re-building their lives after the virtual annihilation of the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire, the first genocide of the 20th century. The Armenian Church in the UK, St. Sarkis Church Trust and St. Sarkis Church Parish celebrated the 90th Anniversary of the first Armenian Church in London with a series of educational, cultural and social events between September 2012 and January 2013. Hratch Tchilingirian is Hon. President of St. Sarkis Church Trust and headed the 90th Anniversary celebrations.
A joint study by Armenian and Azeri sociologists shows that the people in both countries would support more concerted efforts by their governments to normalize relations and move toward settlement of territorial disputes. The study was designed to determine the possibilities for reconciliation among the people of the two countries.
Window View of the Armenian Church, Volume IV, Number 3, 1994
The Witness of the Armenian Church in the Diaspora
A Conversation with ARCHBISHOP ARAM KESHISHIAN, Moderator of World Council of Churches and Prelate of the Armenian Church in Lebanon
By Hratch Tchilingirian
Archbishop Aram Keshishian, as Moderator of the Central and Executive Committees of the World Council of Churches, has the highest position within the structure of WCC. The General Assembly of WCC convenes every seven or eight years. The Assembly elects the Central Committee, comprised of 168 members, a Moderator and two Vice-Moderators. The Moderator, the two Vice-Moderators and the General Secretary are the four officers of WCC. Archbishop Keshishian is the author of several books, among them Witness of the Armenian Church in a Diaspora Situation; Concilliar Fellowship; Orthodox Perspective on Mission.
The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire: A History of the 'Blue Book'
By David Miller
The British Parliamentary ‘Blue Book’ on The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire (Misc 31 Cmnd 8325, HMSO 1916) is the largest single source of information on what happened to the Turkish Armenians in 1915-16. As such, it provides a focus of controversy between those who claim that it provides evidence of genocide, and those who maintain that because the Blue Book was wartime propaganda, its contents are not to be trusted. Ninety years after publication, the Blue Book is key to the question of whether the massacre and deportation of the Armenians was the result of a deliberate policy of extermination, or the unintended consequence of measures taken against the threat of foreign invasion and civil unrest.
The Challenges Facing the Armenian Church. An Interview with Hratch Tchilingirian
by Khatchig Mouradian
"The Armenian Church hides, under its each and every stone, a secret path ascending to the heavens", wrote the famous Armenian poet, Vahan Tekeyan. Yet, the Armenian Church is more than a religious institution that has acted as a "mediator" between Armenians and their God. Having survived the shifting tides of time for more than seventeen centuries, this "unique organization", as Professor Hratch Tchilingirian calls it in this interview, has served its people as much as, if not more than, it has served God. Today, in the age of globalization, secularization and false crusades, the Armenians - despite their constant boasting about having the oldest Christian state in the world - are also following this global trend, by gradually distancing themselves from established religious institutions and, at times, looking for spiritual answers elsewhere.
South Caucasus: A war-zone or a place for holidays?
An Interview with Hratch Tchilingirian
by Khatchig Mouradian
`Abkhazia is not a place for holidays...it is a war zone,' said Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili earlier this month, threatening to sink foreign (implicitly understood as Russian) ships that enter the region without permission from his government. His comments came as tensions escalated between the central authorities of Georgia and two of its breakaway regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Saakashvili has promised to win back. Saakashvili's pronouncements on South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been furiously opposed by Moscow, whose relations with Georgia have plummeted from bad to worse since a `rose revolution' brought pro-western Saakhasvili to power.
... Armenia’s side, with even more organized and unified fashion. We should bear in mind that for ten years the people of Armenia has seen blockades, cold years, economic devastation, so on; it is normal that ...
Armenian Reporter Internatinal [Paramus] 21 Aug 2004: 25.
Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian lectured recently at Haigazian University on "The Armenian Community of Abkhazia."
Tchilingirian described the overall situation in Abkhazia, which lies on the northeastern shores of the Black Sea and has a territory of 8,600 sq km. Abkhazia was an autonomous republic within Georgia during the Soviet period. With its wonderful climate and developed infrastructure for tourism, it was considered the "Riviera" of the Soviet Union. Successive Soviet leaders from Stalin onwards had their summer resorts in Abkhazia. About 1.5 million tourists visited Abkhazia annually in Soviet times, when its total population was only half a million. Agriculture was also a very successful sector of the economy, and Abkhazia had one of the highest GDPs in the Soviet Union.
Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols on 10th October 2009 in Zurich which was the culmination of months of talks. Under the agreement, Turkey and Armenia will establish diplomatic relations and re-open their border. The protocols, which need to be approved by the Parliament of each country, also calls for a panel to investigate the "historical dimension" of the two countries relations - an unmentioned reference to the issue of the genocide of Armenians during World War I.
The Cilician Election and Church Unity Discussed in An Interview with Khachig Babikian, Esq.
HRATCH TCHILINGIRIAN
The following interview, conducted by the editor of Window Quarterly with Mr. Khachig Babikian, Chairman of the World General Assembly of the See of Cilicia, has been made available to a select few Armenian newspapers, including TAR Int'l
LONDON, UK - As Antelias prepares for the election of a new Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, on April 20, 1995, this writer conducted an interview with Attorney Khachig Babikian, Chairman of World General Assembly of the Great House of Cilicia and member of the Lebanese Parliament, discussing the details of the election and the issue of church unity.
Hayagerdum yev Mangavarjutiun [Armenian-formation and Pedagogy]. By Bebo Simonian. Beirut: Shirak Press. 1996. 360p.
By Hratch Tchilingirian
Preservation ofthe Armenian identity (hayabahbanum) is one ofthe mosttalked-about subjects in the Armenian Diaspora; One couldeven say that "hayabahbanum" has been the raison d'etre of theDiaspora, at least until the independence of Armenia.
Felix Corley, Religion in the Soviet Union: An Archival Reader. London: Macmillan Press, 1996, 402 pages.
How did the Soviet government deal with religion in the USSR? For many years it has been possible to read the reaction of believers to the Soviet state's attempt to control religious groups. But now Felix Corley's Religion in the Soviet Union: An Archival Reader, for the first time in English, provides a collection of documents that reveal the struggle between religion and the Communist state from the other side. In their own words the bureaucrats debate policy, issue orders and seek to maximize their control over all aspects of religious life. Using KGB, Central Committee, Council for Religious Affairs and local official documents, Felix Corley has built up a picture of how policy was applied to religious questions in many different areas of life—with the unchanging aim of control.
How absurd a notion it is to con sider having a Peace Center in one of the most war-torm regions of the world. Such has been the response I have often received when pursuing the dreams of the Dormition Abbey/a century old Benedictine Monastry in Jerusalem. However, the more shocking idea seems to be participation of Armenians in this endeavor. While there is foundation for skepticism, the most appropriate answer to such a view seems to be - how is it possible that there not be a Center for Peace in the city of Jerusalem, capital of three monotheistic religions — the City of Peace.
... 1995)
The post-coldwar era has been a mixed bless ing for the "new world or der". On the one hand, there is increasing inter est in social, ecological, gender and moral ...
Window view of the Armenian Church, Vol. I, No. 3, January 1990
Canonization of the Genocide Victims:Are We Ready?
by Hratch Tchilingirian
This year is the 75th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and it seems that the "preparatory activities" are still continuing... So far the victims of the Genocide have not been canonized. There are several problems with the issue of canonizing the victims of the Genocide. However, before going into the discussion of these problems, let us briefly define what "canonization" is.