House of Representatives Urges Turkey to Safeguard Christian Heritage, Return Confiscated Church Properties
House of Representatives Urges Turkey to Safeguard Christian Heritage, Return Confiscated Church Properties
Florida Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Gus Bilirakis Cosponsor H. Res. 306
Washington, DC – This week, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted by voice vote H. Res. 306, legislation calling on the Republic of Turkey to protect its Christian heritage and return confiscated church properties. Introduced by Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), H. Res. 306 was cosponsored by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), both members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.
“This bipartisan bill reflects America’s values and represents an important step towards preserving the heritage of the Armenian community and other minority communities within Turkey,” stated the Legate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church, Archbishop Vicken Aykazian in Washington, DC.
As amended, H. Res. 306 calls on Turkey to “end all forms of religious discrimination” and return confiscated church properties and artifacts. The revised bill mirrors the Berman-Cicilline amendment that was adopted by the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a vote of 43-1 earlier this year.
“It has been my privilege to be a strong voice for oppressed religious minorities throughout the world,” Congressman Bilirakis said. “I am pleased that my colleagues once again sent a strong message in support of religious freedom in a manner that transcends party politics by unanimously condemning Turkey for failing to safeguard its Christian heritage or return confiscated church properties,” stated Bilirakis.
In addition to resolution sponsor Congressman Royce, who along with his colleagues invoked the memory of the Armenian Genocide and Turkey’s continued genocide denial, the following Representatives spoke in favor of the legislation: Howard Berman (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ). Turkish Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Edward Whitfield (R-KY) claimed time in opposition to the bill.
You can watch the debate on the bill here.
St. David Armenian Church Women’s Guild Celebrates Christmas at the Sundy House
St. David Armenian Church Women’s Guild Celebrates Christmas at the Sundy House
By Carol Norigian
Women’s Guild Chairman
Boca Raton, FL – On Saturday, December 10, 2011, the Women’s Guild of St. David Armenian Church celebrated Christmas at the Sundy House, a historic landmark restaurant in Delray Beach, Florida. Very Rev. Fr. Nareg Berberian was present at this event. Fifty-five Women’s Guild members enjoyed the afternoon embracing each other’s company. Marge Lave was recognized by the Executive Board and was given a gift as a token of their appreciation.
Rose Killian, Virignia Norsesian, Lucy Hamalian, Alice Mikaelian, Nina Stapan, and Makruhi Movsesyan were also awarded a gift for their service in the Women’s Guild. After the luncheon, Nina Stapan, Zepure Andreasian and Louise Apoian led the singing of Christmas carols. Gifts were exchanged among the members, and a lottery was drawn. They were all in a festive mood. There were beautifully hand-crafted centerpieces prepared by Virginia Norsesian, Chistmas ornaments by Nina Stapan, and complimentary homemade chocolate by Alice Mikaelian.
The Women’s Guild of St. David is an active organization in our community and they have numerous social, cultural, spiritual and educational programs prepared for the year 2012. See the upcoming flyers and Retreat Program on our website and e-Newsletter.
Moral Considerations in the Art-Restitution Lawsuit Between the Armenian Church and the Getty Museum
Moral Considerations in the Art-Restitution Lawsuit Between the Armenian Church and the Getty Museum
By Michael Toumayan
FLArmenians Guest Contributor
On Nov. 4, a Los Angeles Times article, written by Mike Boehm, reported that in an effort to get back the Canon Tables of the 13th-century Zeyt’un Gospels from the Getty Museum, the Armenian Diaspora has inaudibly put its weight behind the Armenian Orthodox Church’s quest to repatriate the allegedly stolen illuminated manuscripts back to Armenia, where the rest is housed at the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts.
In 1915, as Armenians were subjected to a genocidal campaign by the Ottoman Empire, the intact codex changed hands for safekeeping. The eight pages that were torn from the larger codex during the Armenian Genocide ultimately resurfaced with an Armenian American immigrant family in Massachusetts, which sold them to the Getty in 1994.
The Getty Museum
Church attorneys were initially asked by the Getty to come up with solutions, and no less than 16 were put forth, only to be rejected by the Getty. Clearly the content of a proposal for a solution is a critical component to any successful resolution of conflict, but equally necessary is the timing of the efforts. Resolution can only be achieved if the parties are sincere in negotiating.
One wonders whether the Getty was ready and sincere when it asked church attorneys to come up with solutions. However, for the sake of being aware of our cognitive biases, we should also question whether both parties were engaging in positional bargaining, a negotiation strategy that involves holding on to a position, rather than interest-based bargaining in which parties collaborate to find a “win-win” solution to their dispute.
Nevertheless, on Nov. 3, 2011 a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied the museum’s motion to dismiss the plaintiff’s claim that the Canon Tables are “wrongfully in the possession, custody and control” of the J. Paul Getty Trust, in the Getty Museum. Instead, the judge ordered the parties to four months of mediation, scheduling a March 2 resumption if the case isn’t settled. Citing that it was “not clear” whether the case would fall within statute-of-limitations law, perhaps the judge’s ruling may create the necessary conditions for the dispute to be ripe, and both will perceive that there is a suitable way out.
With a murky history and 90 years later, one cannot rule out the Getty’s possible legal possession and title to the disputed manuscripts. Simultaneously, the Getty’s concern in the preservation of world artistic heritage should not confine itself to considering just the legal entitlement. In mediation, where context is pivotal, there is an ethical obligation that rests on the museum taking into account the moral strength of the church’s case based on the circumstances during times of turmoil. Now is the time for the museum to exhibit consistency with its own core ethical values while also demonstrating sensitivity to the sacred values of the Armenian nation in its quest for restorative justice.
For the mediation to be successful, both must enter into it willingly and away from a zero-sum mindset, through a cooperative approach. The potential benefits of mediation will outweigh the steep cost of litigation, but more importantly, the long-term outcome will be a healed and expanded relationship between the two. This may open the path for a joint restoration project where both can take part in repairing the lost gleam of the larger Zeyt’un Gospels and have them showcased with other extraordinary works of Armenian art from the vaults of the church.
Michael Toumayan is an independnt political commentator on the Caucasus and Middle East affairs. He holds a master’s degree in conflict resolution and mediation from Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel. He resides in Delray Beach, Florida.
SOURCE: http://www.armenianweekly.com/2011/11/29/moral-considerations/
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