Turkish Mayor Protests Monolingualism

The mayor of a city in southeastern Turkey is protesting the Turkish government's hypocritical attacks on his efforts to provide government services not only in Turkish, spoken by a minority in the area, but also in Armenian, Assyrian, and Kurdish, which collectively are spoken by a large majority of the city's residents. More here.

Armenian Muslims Baptized in Turkey

Dozens of Armenians whose ancestors were forced to convert to Islam after the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire were baptized today in the newly reopened Church of St. Cyriacus in Diyarbakir, a city in southeastern Turkey. Archbishop Aram (Atesyan), administrator of the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople, celebrated the baptisms. Archbishop Vicken (Ayvazian), an auxiliary of the Eastern American Diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Echmiadzin, Metropolitan Mor Philoxinos (Cetin) of Constantinople of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and a spokesman of the Ecumenical Patriarchate were also present. More here.

Turkey to Return Religious Properties

In a decision announced Saturday the Turkish government has committed to returning the numerous churches, synagogues, cemeteries, and formerly church-run hospital, orphanage, and school buildings confiscated from Turkey's native religious and ethnic minorities since the foundation of the modern Turkish state following World War I. Properties already sold to private owners by the Turkish government are to be substituted for financial compensation from the state. The move comes as part of Turkey's ongoing efforts to qualify for membership in the European Union, which has long been concerned by the country's treatment of its non-Turkish citizens. More here.

Georgian Orthodox Church Concerned by Potential Return of Churches to Armenians

Despite calls from the Georgian Orthodox Church for calm, Georgia's large Armenian minority remains tense in the aftermath of this past weekend's large demonstrations against a law allowing the registration of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Georgia and four other minority religious organizations. While the head of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Georgia refused to comment on recent events, other representatives of Georgia's Armenian community who were interviewed said that most of the hysteria over the new law was whipped up by the hierarchy and clergy of the Georgian Orthodox Church, noting that of the six historic Armenian Orthodox churches in Tbilisi only two were still in use, whilst two others lay in ruins and two more had been appropriated by the Georgian Orthodox Church, which may now under the terms of the new law have to return them to the Church of Armenia. (In total there are more than 300 Armenian Orthodox churches in Georgia, of which only 40 are currently used by the Armenian Orthodox Church.) More here.

Tbilisi Marches Protest New Legislation on Religious Organizations

Large protest marches took place over the weekend in Tbilisi, Georgia, to protest the Georgian government's enactment of legislation allowing the country's minority religious organizations to register with the state. The marches, the largest in recent years, were fueled by concerns that southeastern Georgia's Armenian minority will use the new legislation to gain equality with ethnic Georgians and by the Sunday sermon of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of the Georgian Orthodox Church, who said the new laws "humiliated the Church" and those behind them would "definitely be punished." More here and here.

Georgian Parliament Passes Law Allowing Registration of Armenian Orthodox Diocese

The Georgian Parliament has finally passed a law to allow for the registration of Georgia's largest minority religious organizations, first among them the Armenian Orthodox Church's diocese in Georgia. Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of the Georgian Orthodox Church opposed the new law, saying that national debates should be held to establish whether a majority of Georgians supported the measure. Georgian ultranationalists also opposed the law, saying that neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan should be required to register the Georgian Orthodox Church in their countries first despite the miniscule size of their Georgian communities. More here and here.

Catholicos Karekin Meets with Parents of Jailed Armenian Activist in Georgia

During a visit to the Armenian community in southeastern Georgia, Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II of Echmiadzin has met with the parents of jailed Armenian activist Vahan Chakhalyan. The release of Chakhalyan was brought up during Catholicos Karekin's recent meeting in Tbilisi with Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of the Georgian Orthodox Church. More here.

Armenian Orthodox Church in Georgia Remains Unregistered

The status of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Georgia remains unresolved as the government has still not registered the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Georgia or discussed with the Georgian Orthodox Church the return of occupied Armenian Orthodox churches to the Diocese of Georgia. More here.

Park Opened in Memory of Hrant Dink

A park has been opened in the Turkish town of Akdeniz in memory of murdered Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. More here.

Turkish Politician Visits Patriarchates of Constantinople

A leader of a major Turkish political party made visits yesterday to the seats of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople to discuss the upcoming Turkish elections and the reason for his party's failure to include an Armenian candidate on its list despite the large size of Turkey's native Armenian minority. More here.

Armenians in Turkey Not in Diaspora

Prominent Armenians living in Turkey have rejected the characterization of their community in the country as constituting a part of the Armenian Diaspora given that much of eastern Turkey was an integral part of Armenia proper prior to the Armenian Genocide. More here.

Constantinople's Armenians on the Decline?

Constantinople's large Armenian minority is facing criticism from the rest of the Armenian Diaspora for its quietness in the face of Turkish discrimination as well as a decline in numbers as its youth begin to lose the Armenian language and intermarry with Turks. More here.

Armenian Orthodox Church Converted into Mosque in Turkey

Calls have been renewed for the protection of Armenian monuments, churches, and cultural artifacts in western Armenia (currently part of eastern Turkey), one of which in recent years was converted into a mosque. More here.

Georgia Criticized as Threat to Armenian Cultural Heritage

A noted Armenian artist has singled out Georgia as a greater threat to Armenia's cultural heritage outside its current borders than Turkey, saying that Turkey is obvious in its negative actions, whereas "Georgia acts in secret." More here.

Armenians in Georgia Call for Genocide Recognition

Representatives of southeastern Georgia's large Armenian minority have called on the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili to recognize the Armenian Genocide. More here.

Iraqi Armenians Commemorate Genocide

Commemorations have been held by the Armenian Orthodox in northern Iraq to mark the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. More here.

Orthodox Christians to Remain Unrepresented in Turkish Parliament

Despite discussion by an assortment of political parties in Turkey of presenting Armenian candidates for upcoming parliamentary elections none have been nominated by any of the parties currently represented in the Turkish Parliament. Although a minority in Turkey, Armenians are the largest non-Muslim ethnic minority in the country. More here.

Update (12/4/2011): Four non-Muslim candidates will be field in the upcoming elections, two of whom are ethnic Syrians and two of whom are Jews. Of the four only one, a Syrian from southeastern Turkey, seems to have a strong chance of being elected. More here.

Turkish Writer Apologizes for Ottoman Turkish Genocides

A Turkish writer, Kemal Yalcin, has apologized to Armenians, Assyrians, and ethnic Syrians around the world for the Armenian Genocide and the Seyfo (the Assyrian/Syrian Genocide) undertaken by the Ottoman Turks and Kurds. Yalcin noted that had the Genocide not taken place Turkey today would have some 15 million additional Armenian, Assyrian, and Syrian residents (instead of a paltry 108,000). More here.

Armenian Secretly Executed in Iran

Iran secretly executed five Iranians, among them an Armenian Orthodox man and his Jewish wife, this past month in Iran. Although the government later confirmed the news of the executions it has refused to turn the executed over to their families for burial. More here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Meets with Armenian Orthodox Bishop in Russia

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk of the Russian Orthodox Church met today with members of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Moscow, among them Bishop Yezras (Nersissian) of Novo-Nakhichevan and Russia of the Echmiadzin Catholicate. In greeting Bishop Yezras and his flock Metropolitan Hilarion noted the love of Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of All Rus' for Armenia and referred to the country as "very dear" to him personally as well. More here.

There is a large and vibrant Armenian Diaspora in Russia due to the long periods that eastern Armenia spent as part of the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. The Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Novo-Nakhichevan and Russia is currently building a church and administrative center in Moscow for the Armenian Orthodox Church in Russia.