KeghartBelow is a letter Keghart.com Editorial Board member Dr. Dikran Abrahamian sent to four Armenian community leaders in Montreal, signatories of a recent circular "The time has come to stop slandering and to think of the future of our church and community".–Editor
July 17, 2013 Ontario
Dear Friends,
Thank you for the recent circular initiated by 23 individuals, regarding the turmoil at the Armenian Diocese of Canada.
We, at Keghart, realize the importance of the issue and support any initiative that would improve "the future of our church and community". The problems that we face, such as corruption, nepotism, fraud, despotism, to name a few, are not unique to our Church and community but are noted in many clusters of the Armenian Diaspora, from Geneva to Montreal, Los Angeles to Lyon and Nice. Etchmiadzin and Antelias are not immune either.
[…….]
Below is a letter Keghart.com Editorial Board member Dr. Dikran Abrahamian sent to four Armenian community leaders in Montreal, signatories of a recent circular "The time has come to stop slandering and to think of the future of our church and community".–Editor
July 17, 2013 Ontario
Dear Friends,
Thank you for the recent circular initiated by 23 individuals, regarding the turmoil at the Armenian Diocese of Canada.
We, at Keghart, realize the importance of the issue and support any initiative that would improve "the future of our church and community". The problems that we face, such as corruption, nepotism, fraud, despotism, to name a few, are not unique to our Church and community but are noted in many clusters of the Armenian Diaspora, from Geneva to Montreal, Los Angeles to Lyon and Nice. Etchmiadzin and Antelias are not immune either.
[…….]
You may already have read the petition in Keghart, titled Stop the Fake Monument, about another challenge our community in Canada is facing as it tries to neutralize the almost-complete success of the campaign launched by the Turkish ambassador and consul general in Toronto of the denailist state of Turkey. We think that resolving the internal matters of the community, such as the recent scandal in Montreal, and the battle against the stooges of the state of Turkey in Canada are equally important.
Having said so we need to prioritize matters based on urgency and time-sensitivity.
The issue of the controversial fake monument will not wait until we finally decide to act. Our inactivity will be deleterious. We still have a chance to resolve the problem in our favor. Unofficially, I have been informed that the mayor of Brantford has refused to meet a delegation of Armenians today. It tells volumes. Action is required now, not tomorrow when another monument will be installed following the one in Ottawa and the Calgary mayor's assistance to the Azeri-Turkish lobby.
Reluctantly, in this constellation of events, I shall withdraw your circular, because it will distract people from responding to the Brantford challenge–the target we should concentrate our efforts at present. I know you follow the logic of my decision. Please organize the community in that direction, rather than trying to resolve an internal matter which needs time. Keghart cannot engage in activities that need manpower, such as contacting the Alevis, alerting them or other communities, such as the Assyrians and the Kurds. [….]
Hopefully Karekin II-Serge Sarkissian duo will take care of all the matters pertaining to the Church from Beijing to Beirut and beyond.
Thanks for your attention.
Respectfully,
Dikran Abrahamian
On July 18, 2013 Keghart.com received a document titled "To Locum Tenens and few prominent members of the Canadian Armenian Community" by regular mail. It was penned by "A former Parish Council Member of the Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Toronto" (July 14, 2013). Keghart.com thanks the author but will not publish the document for the same reasons as outlined in the above letter to a number of community leaders in Montreal.–Editor
Keghart
Keghart
Keghart