Armenian Apostolic Church to canonize victims of 1915 genocide

February 04, 2015

The Armenian Apostolic Church will recognize the victims of the Armenian genocide as saints, the Fides news service reports.

Patriarch Karekin, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, will preside at a solemn liturgy on April 23 to canonize the genocide victims, who have already been recognized by the Armenian Church as martyrs for their faith.

Patriarch Karekin said that the Armenian Church, in canonizing saints, recognizes the holiness of people already revered for their virtue. “The Church only recognizes what happened: that is, the genocide,” he said.

An estimated 1 to 1.5 million Armenians died in a brutal campaign begun by government of Turkey in 1915.

 

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Further information:

• The victims of the Genocide will be proclaimed saints by the Armenian Apostolic Church on April 23 (Fides)