1994_11 The Daily Collegian November 1994

              8
Hye Sharzhoom
November l!
VAZKEN I, from p.1
in 1987. V,
Hye Sharzhoom asked three
prominent Armenian leaders in the
San Joaquin Valley for their opin¬
ions oh the impact of the death of
Catholicos Vazken I.
Interviewed were: Very Rev.
Fr.   -    Sasoon Vartabed
Zumrookhdian, Pastor of St Paul
Armenian Church (SVZ); Very
Rev. Fr. Muron Azniltian, Dean of
the Holy Trinity Armenian Church
(MVA); and Dr. Dickran
Kouymjian, Haig and Isabel
Berberian Professor, of Armenian
Studies at CSU Fresno (DK).
Hye Skarzhoomx What was
your first reaction to hearing of
the death of Bis Holiness?
SVZ: Although expecting the
news, I was filled with sadness. I
always remember the days I spent
in the seminary and the way he
would interact with students.       ,
MVA: The Armenian people
in general and the Armenian Church
in particular have lost a great spiri¬
tual leader. He was a wise leader
vfrhose experience and wisdom will
be missed.
DK: I hoped that he had not
suffered too much in those last days
of pain.
Hye Sharzhoom'. What do
you fed were his greatest accom¬
plishments as Catholicos?
SVZ: I think I will remember
him as person who did chiefly two
things: renovate physically the Ar¬
menian Church, as in the case of
;
COX, from p.6
of medical supplies, transport-
ing them from England to
Karabagh.
Among Lady Cox's and CSI*s
projects in Karabagh is establish¬
ing a rehabilitation center for Ar¬
menian amputees.
One of the major questions
she posed was how to get the inter¬
national organizations to take hu¬
manitarian aid to those areas of the
world where minorities, religious
and political, are being discrimi¬
nated against by sovereign coun¬
tries.
Armenia, still suffering from
a Turkish-Azeri blockade, faces an
appalling situation. Armenia is
unique in the nations of the world
by the constellation of problems
facing the country. Ten per cent of
the population are refugees (300,00
people) and thirty per cent of the
population (500,000 people) are
still homeless from the earthquake
of 1988. Most of the country is
down to two hours of electricity a
i day for heat or light. Three pota¬
toes for ten people for one day is
the diet in "water tank village"
where the homeless live at the edge
of Yerevan.
Lady Cox has developed a pro¬
found admiration for the people of
Karabagh through meeting indi¬
viduals such as the senior nurse
from Maragha, northeastern
Karabagh, whom she met in April
1992. Azerbaijan had just overrun
the village with tanks and armored
personnel carriers. The heads of 45
villagers were sawed off in sight of
the rest of the village. Every home
was set on fire.
Lady Cox arrived twenty-four
hours after the massacre and saw
"the face of hell." She met the se¬
nior nurse who had earlier seen her
son's head sawed off. They em¬
braced and wept.
What message would the nurse
like to give to the world? With
incredible dignity, she rose above
her persona] anguish and with great
composure said, "I want to say
thank you. I have seen how the
medicine you have brought has
saved many lives and eased much
suffering. I want to say thank you
to those who have not forgotten us
in these dark and difficult days."
"What a triumph of the human
spirit," she commented.
Another incident was about a
boy of twelve who was carrying
water home in the winter. It took
five hours to wait in fine in sub¬
zero temperature under bombing
for the water. He was going down
the stairs to the basement of his
home when he slipped on the ice
and spilled the precious two buck¬
ets of water. Instead of being angry
he made a joke and went out again
to wait in line for another five hours.
Such is the courage of the chil¬
dren of Karabagh.  "*"
Etchmiadzin, which is primarily
his work, and also his ability for
spiritual renewal. He also initiated
contacts with other churches even
in the difficult communist period.
MVA: The Vehapar was
elected Catholicos (1955) in diffi¬
cult times during the communist
period. He always found a way to
keep the Armenian Church moving
forward; by turning the seminary
into a religious center and leading a
period of spiritual revival. He will
be remembered for his leadership
in building and renovation.
DK: He provided asteady lead¬
ership in a most graceful way. He
became a recognizable icon for the
Armenian church. Vazken Vehapar
also refurbished Etchmiadzin and
made of it a splendid church center;
he made it the Armenian Vatican.
Hye Sharzhoom'. What im¬
pact will his death have on the
Armenian Church?
DK: Not much except a
scramble for power. How wise he
would have been to have appointed
in his life time a Locum Tenens, the
person he thought most capable of
taking over. The transition would
have been very smooth.
SVZ: The Armenians are at a
sensitive time in the history of thd
Armenian people. It is a time when
Armenian independence is solidi¬
fying. He was instrumental in the
defense of the Armenian Church
against sects. We all will miss him
as person who enjoyed the respect
of all Armenians of all backgrounds,
of all religious and political persua¬
sions. . v
MVA: Through the life he led,
he was an example to the new gen¬
erations, . During his reign he had
been able to focus the Armenian
people on the Church, to crystallize
the meaning of the Church for the
people. He will be missed greatly.
Hye Sharzhoom: What im¬
pact will there be on the process
Church unity, especially in the
United States?
MVA: The division is a con¬
sequence of problems which oc¬
curred many years ago. I see a
period of indecisiveness but I am
still optimistic. I hope that the next
Catholicos will continue the unity
process.
Hye Sharzhoom Donations
r
AGBU Alex Manoogian Cultural
Fund
Arsen Alikian    ^   .
Ashkhen Aristakessian and
Gregory Ohanian
John & EveWn Armaganian
Richard & Elizabeth Ashton
Dr. Thomas A Helen Aved
Nectar A. Avedian
Dr. Eileen Vartan Barker
K^jak Y. Balekjian X
Charles & Rose Bedoian
Ohannes L. Bezazian
Marie Bohigian N
Queenie Camaroda
Glen A Ellen Chesnut
Harry A Sara Chilian
Armenouhie Chuvit
Aram it June Dannanian
Anahid Eleazarian
Robert Enochian
Donald A Helen Geogerian
Armand J. Gougasian
Esther Hagopian
In memory of Veronica JLngirian
Avak Hovsepian
John & Helen Jarahian
Zephyr A Sam Kalunian
Hagie Kandarian
George Karoyan
Barkev G. Kibarian A    •
Cheryl A. Megerdigian
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Harold & Elizabeth Manselian
Helene C. Majarian
Shoghere Markarian
Violet Mayian
Mary Nalchajian
Mr. & Mrs. M Nicholas
Lillian & Vamum Paul
Janet Samuel ian
Sylvia A. Sarafian
Roxanne Sartorius
Roger A Betty S hatafian
Anna Tookoian
Ruth Upton
Valley Bakery
Henrik Vartanian
Walter Vosganian
MaJfearet Breed Williams
SVZ: I think the Vehapar was
at the forefront and was the initia¬
tor of the unity process by his ex¬
ample. He wanted people to follow,
his example. I think that even
though he did not witness unity in
his lifetime, it was a major goal for
him. Of course his loss leaves the
Armenian Church without leader¬
ship at the head, which will delay
unity.
DK: I cannot imagine his death
would have any effect on church
unity. It is clear that vested nfrter-
ests on both sides of the church
unity question are not anxious to
see a change in the status quo in
utter defiance of the will of most
Armenians.* The election- of
Catholicos Karekin (Catholicos of
the Great House of'Cilicia) as
Catholicos of All Armenians in
Etchmiadzin might help church
unity, but that too is no longer cer¬
tain.
Hye Sharzhoom: What will
be the main challenge facing a
newly elected Catholicos?
DK: The same challenges that
faced Vazken I. At some point the
Armenian church must take respon¬
sibility for the Armenian faithful
that still have some interest in Chris¬
tianity. He must find ways to pre¬
pare more educated and less si ngled
minded and stubborn clergy. The
church lacks direction of the type
necessary to compete forthe atten¬
tion of Armenians, especially now
that an independent Armenian Re¬
public provides a new focus and a
new excitement for Armenians.
SVZ: The biggest challenge
will be to bring the Armenian
Church to the forefront of the Ar¬
menian people in Armenia. In ad¬
dition, the attainment of unity of
the Armenian Church is stiU a very,
important goal.
MVA: There are two grodt
challenges, one inner and the other
external. Internally the new
Catholicos must revise the Church
constitution to strengthen the
Church, for inner strength'. The
other challenge is to spread the
faith of Christ in Armenia, jus) as
was done in the time of King Trdat
and.St. Gregory. There must be
positive education of the people, so
that people will freely choose the
Christian faith.
Hye Sharzhoom: What are
some of your personal feelings
and memories of the Catholicos
and abou t the future ?
SVZ: I woujd always remem¬
ber him as a caring person, with
great intelligence and depth of
knowledge. He was an objective
person. The election of a hew
Catholicos will be historic because
it will be held in a free and indepen¬
dent Armenia, free of influence of
government and political parties.
The Catholicos will be elected by a
truly representative assembly rep¬
resenting the entire world.
MVA: When I was in Arme¬
nia and Karabagh the last time, I
had the opportunity to meet with .
His Holiness. He greeted me
warmly, with openness and fatherly
feelings at Etchmiadzin. His mes¬
sage to me and others was to al¬
ways keep the name of the Arme¬
nian Church high. He was a man
who was humble in,his authority.
Catholicos Vazken I was a great
Church leader.
DK: Vazken Vehapar was al¬
ways dignified and hospitable. No
matter how many people he had to
see on any day or occasion he al¬
ways made you feel that youmasit
was important to him.
I have, however, on occasion
had arguments with him; several
times we failed to see eye to eye on
things The most serious moment
of disagreement was in 1987 when
I tried to prevail on him to go ahead
with his promise'of financial sup¬
port for Sergei Paradjanov, who
had been invited by the Catholicos
to make a film on the Armenian art
treasures in the various museums
of Holy Etchmiadzin. A truly re¬
grettable incident, especially since
the Catholicos had so willingly pro¬
tected Paradjanov, so to speak,
when he got out of prison.. -
Vazken I will be remembered
as one of the great Catholicoses of
the church. It is hard to imagine
how the church is going to find
another Catholicos of bis caliber.
Whoever is elected will be mea¬
sured for years to come against
Vazken I.
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