His Holiness Aram I Met with the Minister of Religious Freedom in Canada

June 2015

During his visit to Ottawa, His Holiness Aram I met with Dr. Andrew Bennett, the Ambassador of the Office of Religious Freedom in Canada. Among the attendants at this meeting were, Jeremy Adler, Deputy Director, Office of Religious Freedom, Office of Religious Freedom, Mark Gwozdecky, Director General, Middle East & Maghreb, Kevin Hamilton, Director, Europe & Eurasia Relations Division and Brent McCamon.

During this meeting, His Holiness and Dr. Bennett discussed how freedom of religion is fundamental. Dr. Bennett noted how they are focusing on the Middle East and watching with deep concern what the Armenians and Christians are facing today in Syria and looking to raising awareness rather than taking a robust approach, emphasizing that tolerance and diversity are key.

In turn, His Holiness said that “we need to engage in in-depth conversations about the issues in the Middle East and it needs to be predominant in global issues. They should be addressed in a broader perspective and a comprehensive approach. The political regimes and the religious freedoms are interconnected and we need a contextual approach.”

His Holiness Aram I also expressed to the Minister his wish for the House of Commons of Canada to adopt a resolution anchored on a declaration by its Religious Freedom Minister, urging Turkey to end all forms of religious discrimination and to return places of worship, monasteries, schools, hospitals, monuments, relics, holy sites, and other religious properties within Turkey to its rightful owners. His Holiness informed Dr. Bennett about the lawsuit the Catholiocsate of Cilicia has filed in the Turkish Constitutional Court, demanding the return of the historical Catholicosate of Sis, which was forcefully taken by the Ottoman government of the day, as were many Armenian churches and institutions.

His Holiness was accompanied by Bishop Meghrig Parikian, Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada, Most Reverend Father Housig Mardirossian, Ecumenical Relations Officer of the Catholicosate, Krikor Der Ghazarian, Chairperson of the Executive Council of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada and Dr. Girair Basmadjian, member of the Executive Council of the Catholicosate.

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