The Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan, on Thursday, April 23, expressed its solidarity with the brotherly Armenians who currently mark the centenary of the genocide to which they were subjected because of their Christian faith in 1915.
The statement issued by the CCSM today says: “In association with Pope France and with the reverberations of the Armenian and Syriac hymns recited at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican for the martyrs two weeks ago, we say: ‘It seems that humanity is incapable of terminating the shedding of the blood of the innocent people. It seems that the enthusiasm that emerged after World War II began to dissipate. It seems that humanity rejects to learn from its mistakes which are caused by the law of the jungle. Up to this moment, there are some parties who seek to eliminate others with the help of other parties encouraged by collusive silence of others who play the role of the observer.’ We have not yet learned that ‘war is stupidity. It is a useless massacre’.”
The CCSM conveys condolences to the Armenian Church and people stressing that “what is most serious is not merely to treat the wounds of the past which go deep into the heart of the world, but also to stop the daily bleeding--where killing, destruction still prevails in the world arena, where the Almighty is still used to justify violence and where religious, ethnic and racial components carry out persecution, killing and displacement as the world enters a dark tunnel, a tunnel termed by some circles as the third world war.”
The statement, issued by Director of CCSM Fr. Rif’at Bader, highlighted Jordan’s hosting of the displaced brotherly Armenians in the early 20th century where one of the quarters in Amman bears their name. The statement also referred to Al Hussein Ibn Ali document in 1917 which called on the Arab and Muslim worlds to care for the Armenians and protect them. The statement continued, “the world of today experiences a kind of genocide stemming from general and collective indifference,” pointing out that the recurring crimes which the world reacts to with reverberating silence--the latest of which is the killing of 28 Ethiopian Christians in Libya--represent a humanitarian cry in the face of injustice and oppression.
The statement quoted His Holiness Pope Francis that “hiding or denying evil is like leaving a bleeding wound without treatment” since the refusal to recognize the Armenian genocide implies that further genocides will take place. The statement urged all political authorities to reinforce justice and security through launching a genuine process leading to reconciliation and peace, to mass efforts by all followers of religions designed to extirpate thoughts of extremism and elimination of others.
The statement noted that “the voices of the victims of the disputes in the world of today must explicitly push us to hold profound dialogue about history based on truth and frankness, for whatever pains, tragedies and mistakes the past history had brought, this should serve as an incentive to learn a lesson from these failures to consequently serve as a bridge that transcends the wounds of the past.''
The statement asserted that “the world of today is badly in need of reinforcing the culture of reconciliation and meeting which is not intended to exchange accusations, for the future of humanity implies that there is a need for the deep roots of the past. These roots-- nurtured by truth and conscience--constitute a vital force for free, humanitarian societies enjoying solidarity. Without seeking this truth, every society acts on its own which consequently leads to the globalization of indifference stemming from the selfishness of the world.”
Concluding the statement, the CCSM, which is affiliated with the Latin Patriarchate, called on all churches and parishioners in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to ring the bells a hundred times at 19:15 Armenia time (18:15 local time) corresponding to the genocide year.
