Armenian Church declares Year of Armenian Women

(armenian) - On Sunday 10 January 2010, after the Liturgy at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias, Archbishop Komitas Ohanian read the Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Aram I, declaring 2010 Year of Armenian Women.

The letter is an invitation to Armenian men and women to reassess the role of women in the family and society. In his Encyclical, His Holiness Aram I refers to Biblical, historical and contemporary reflections that make it imperative that we reassess the roles of women and men in society. According to the Bible, he writes, God created men and women in His image, after His likeness (Genesis 1:26); therefore, he explains, women and men are equal in the eyes of God and partners in caring for the created world. His Holiness further notes that in the New Testament, the ‘New Eve’, Mary the Mother of God, plays an important role in the history of salvation.

The Encyclical then refers to Armenian history, where many women contributed to the survival of the nation and to its spiritual and cultural renaissance by assuming political responsibilities through martyrdom and sainthood, as writers, educators, social workers and mothers.

His Holiness bases his reflection on important events and documents of the United Nations and the Ecumenical Movement. He cites the achievements of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Decade for Women and International Conferences since 1976 and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted by the UN General Assembly (1979). In the Ecumenical Movement he mentions the Ecumenical Decade of the Churches in Solidarity with Women 1988-1998, which deplored violence against women at home and in society and the Decade to Overcome Violence.

His Holiness concludes his Encyclical letter by calling upon all Armenians to reconsider the nature of women-men partnership in the Armenian community, its organizations and the family, in view of the moral values taught by the Church and internationally endorsed documents.

This Encyclical letter will be read in all Armenian Churches in the forthcoming weeks, and will become a study document both in Church bodies and civil society organizations.