ARMENIAN CHURCH HIGHLIGHTS ARTSAKH AT WCC GATHERING IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), convened in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the month of June. Armenian Church delegates highlighted the ethnic cleansing of the Armenians in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on the occasion, the second in-person Central Committee meeting following the 11th General Assembly, which had taken place in 2022, in Karlsruhe, Germany.
In South Africa, the plenary initiated a midterm review of strategies and governance. It also initiated preparations for the next assembly in 2030. The Central Committee also continued the crucial work of the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity, particularly with South African churches.
His Holiness Catholicos Aram I is one of the current Presidents of the WCC, representing the family of Oriental Orthodox Churches. It is noteworthy that a guest of honor at the meeting was the Rev. Dr. Sam Kobia, former General Secretary, who served at the WCC alongside His Holiness while he was the Moderator.
V. Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian, pastor of St. Stephen’s Church of Greater Boston, participated on behalf of the Holy See of Cilicia. In Johannesburg, Fr. Hrant served on the leadership of the Policy Reference Committee. He continues to serve on the Ecumenical Education and Formation Commission and the Reference Group on Racism, as co-moderator.
Archbishop Nareg Alyemezian is also a member elected to the Central Committee on behalf of the Holy See of Cilicia. He continues to serve on the Permanent Committee on Consensus and Collaboration. Due to the Iran-Israel war, Archbishop Nareg was not able to travel to Johannesburg. Ms. Carla Khijoyan continues her ecumenical service as head of WCC’s staff responsible for the Middle East.
During its meetings, the Central Committee welcomed the membership of four new churches, approved the application of one church for an interim period of participation, and acknowledged three churches in the process of application for membership.
Notable among the visits was a journey through the Apartheid Museum, which portrayed the history of the South African people, their suffering and subsequent liberation from apartheid. Father Michael Lapsley offered a moving presentation during a session titled “Pilgrimage Encounter: South Africa.” Fr. Michael, because of his activism, became a target in 1990. After Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, he was sent a letter bomb by the apartheid regime. He lost both hands and the sight in one eye in the blast and was seriously burned. Following his ordeal, he became an advocate for those suffering around the world, especially considering the fact that many regions and peoples who are under assault go unnoticed. He explained that this can be understood in the context of intergenerational unhealed wounds, which sadly render some able to see the suffering of certain groups but not of all.
Fr. Hrant shared the Armenian experience, in light of the recent ethnic cleansing activities conducted by Azerbaijan in Artsakh. He resonated with Fr. Michael on the oddity of how some injustices become shrouded, while others take center stage. He engaged Fr. Michael, both as a reformed pacifist and as someone who had forgiven his attackers, and for the sake of successful stories on reconciliation, to share his experience on how to better understand the intergenerational unhealed wounds he referred to, and how we can help our brothers and sisters afflicted by them to overcome them.
