New York’s St. Vartan Cathedral complex was the stage for an evening of solidarity and vision on Tuesday, September 16, as the ecumenical group Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) launched its new “Armenian Advisory Council.”
The evening, which went forward under the title “From Ararat to the World,” brought together figures from the ecumenical movement, clergy from around the Eastern Diocese, representatives of sister churches, as well as leaders of the regional Armenian community.
Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan offered words of welcome and gratitude to the guests. This is a critical time for our homeland, and for our ancient communities in the Holy Land and across the Middle East,” he said. “It’s a time for us to speak with a united voice—magnified by friends who have influence, and who share our mutual concerns.”
Diocesan Legate and Ecumenical director Archbishop Vicken Aykazian spoke about urgent concerns of Armenian and sister Christian communities around the world.
CMEP’s Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon outlined the goals of the advisory council: to amplify voices in support of justice, peace, and the protection of Armenian Christian heritage; to strengthen engagement with Armenian communities in America and abroad; and to increase congressional lobbying for Armenian causes including the plight of Artsakh, the preservation of Armenian religious sites, and the protection of Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter.
Some 90 guests enjoyed the elegant evening of dinner, music, fellowship and advocacy in the Diocesan Center’s Haik and Alice Kavookjian auditorium.
The Eastern Diocese has enjoyed a long, fruitful relationship with Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), an ecumenical and advocacy organization uniting 34 U.S. Christian denominations, based in Washington, DC. Since its founding in 1984, CMEP has represented its member churches to give them a voice in U.S. policy on human rights and peace, in the Mideast and elsewhere.