Window Quarterly
Vol. I, No. 3, January 1990
Copyright 1990

[Permission is granted to use, print, reproduce this article 
provided the following acknowledgment is given:  From 
Window Quarterly 1, 3 (1990);  ACRAG c. 1990. 

***

Canonization of the Genocide Victims
Are We Ready?

by Hratch Tchilingirian

"Since next year is the 75th anniversary of the Genocide, we 
propose that the preparatory activities continue for the 
canonization of our victims."
                       --Joint Communique of Catholicoi Vazken I 
and Karekin II
                          April 29, 1989, Holy Etchmiadzin

This year is the 75th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide 
and it seems that the "preparatory activities" are still 
continuing... So far the victims of the Genocide have not 
been canonized.  There are several problems with the issue of 
canonizing the victims of the Genocide.  However, before 
going into the discussion of these problems, let us briefly 
define what "canonization" is.

Canonization is the final declaration by the head of the 
Church, whereby the soul of a person or a group of persons 
are declared to be in heaven.  After the declaration, the 
veneration of the person(s) as a saint is not only permitted, 
but ordered for the entire Church. Normally, the process of 
canonization is conducted by the Synod of Bishops in the 
Orthodox Church and the Sacred Congregation of Rites in 
the Roman Catholic Church, afterwards, the final declaration 
is made by the Patriarch or by the Supreme Pontiff.  
Canonization as a formal process and declaration started in 
the tenth century.   In  the primitive Church, martyrs and later 
confessors were the first to be publicly venerated by the 
faithful.  Until the tenth century, individuals among the 
faithful who had lead exemplary and "venerable" lives were 
accepted as "saints" without formal canonization by the 
Church.

WHO ARE THE SAINTS?

The saints are an integral part of the Tradition of the ancient 
Churches.  "The doctrine of the Church comes alive in the 
lives of the true believers, the saints.   The saints are those 
who literally share the holiness of God.  'Be holy, for I your 
God am holy.' (Leviticus 11:44; I Peter 1:16)   The lives of 
the saints bear witness to the authenticity and truth of the 
Christian gospel, the sure gift of God's holiness to men."

When a person is canonized, certain honors are conferred 
upon that individual:

1) The name of the saint is listed among the other saints of 
the church and thus included in the liturgical calendar of the 
Church.

2) The name of the new saint is invoked in public prayers.

3) Churches are dedicated to God in the saint's memory.

4) Festive days are designated to celebrate his/her memory.

5) The name of the saint is mentioned in the Divine Liturgy 
on the day of the celebration of his/her memory and 
sometimes special hymns are sung to mention the virtuous 
deeds of the saint.

6) Pictorial or iconographical representations are made in 
which the saint is surrounded by a heavenly light of glory.

7) When available, the relics of the saint is enclosed in 
precious or decorated vessels and are publicly honored.

PRACTICAL, THEOLOGICAL & POLITICAL PROBLEMS 
OF CANONIZATION

The practical problem of canonizing the victims of the 
Armenian Genocide, or for that matter any person, stems 
from the fact that the Synod of Bishops of the Armenian 
Church, which has the authority to undertake such a task, has 
not consistently met.  If fact, it has been over two decades 
that the Synod of the Armenian Church has not convened.  
The purpose and function of the Synod-- the assembly of all 
bishops of the Armenian Church-- is to regulate doctrines or 
disciplines in the Church.  The decrees of the Synod are held 
to possess the highest authority which the Church can give.  
The Synod of the Armenian Church is summoned by the 
Catholicos and its decrees are confirmed by him.  Obviously, 
the schism in the Armenian Church between Etchmiadzin 
and Antelias possess another problem.  Will the Synod of 
each Catholicate meet separately or will a Synod of Bishops 
encompass the entire Armenian Church, both Etchmiadzin 
and Antelias? If it will be a Synod for the entire Church,  the 
logistics of such a Synod still remain to be unspecified and 
ultimately, it might be dependent on the unity of the 
Armenian Church.
	
Furthermore, there is no set method or formula in the 
Armenian Church by which a person is determined to be a 
saint.  The Armenian Church has not canonized any person 
for the past 500 years.  The last person who was declared a 
saint was St. Gregory of Datev (1346-1410), who was an 
eminent theologian, teacher and an abbot, under whose 
instruction and training great leaders flourished in the 
Armenian Church.  (It is beyond the scope of this article to 
discuss the implications of this 500 year gap in recognizing 
the true saints of the Armenian Church. Archbishop Shnork 
Kalustian in his book "Armenian Saints" mentions over 25 
individuals who should have been canonized, but are not so 
far recognized as saints).

The absence of a concrete methodology for canonization and 
the overwhelming task of documenting the lives and cases of 
the victims of the Genocide make it virtually impossible to 
declare them saints in the proper sense of the term.  For 
instance, in the Roman Catholic Church, the initial step of 
the process is a formal inquiry, instituted by the bishop of the 
diocese wherein the person lived. This inquiry is 
accomplished by a tribunal of three judges, a notary, and the 
"promoter of the faith," more commonly called the "devil's 
advocate."  Following the report of the bishop to Rome, the 
Sacred Congregation opens the process, enlarging on the 
previous inquiries, with a promoter of the faith again 
presenting the flaws or weak points in the evidence.  Only 
thereafter does the "apostolic process," as it is called,  
authorizes further investigation and the long process of 
gathering evidence and determining the worthiness for 
beatification first, and then canonization.   Again, for all 
practical purposes, we cannot canonize 1.5 million 
Armenians en masse, without documenting or knowing some 
of the ways and means of their martyrdom.  Otherwise, their 
canonization would be exactly what it seems to be: 
bestowing them the ultimate honor and recognition without 
recognizing their true witness and worthiness for sainthood.
	
Theologically, once the victims of the Genocide are 
canonized, the Armenian Church will be put under a 
dogmatic imperative, i.e., they are no longer victims, but 
victors of Christ.   Once the victims of the Genocide are 
canonized,  we can no longer hold Hokehankists (requiem 
services) to mourn their death, to which we have accustomed 
ourselves. Instead, we will celebrate the Divine Liturgy 
invoking their names, asking for their intercession and 
celebrate their victory over death, in and through Christ.  
Once the victims of the Genocide are canonized, we can no 
longer hold candle light vigils.  The mournful, dark 
atmosphere of commemorations of the Genocide will have to 
be changed into a "festive" glorious atmosphere. The victims 
are no longer victims, but saints who live in the glory of God, 
i.e., those who have joined God in an endless sharing of a 
divine life beyond all corruption and have found the true life 
with God.  Hence, the question is whether Armenians are 
willing to see themselves as witness to the Death and 
Resurrection of Christ--for whom hundreds of thousands of 
Armenians gave their lives--rather than perpetually identify 
themselves as the victim.
	
Politically, ever since the 50th anniversary of the Genocide, 
Armenians have collectively demanding justice for the 1.5 
million victims of the Genocide from the Turks in particular 
and the world in general.  Canonization would de facto 
resolve the problem of justice. It would be preposterous to 
demand justice for saints any longer. Canonization might be 
detrimental to the political agenda of the Armenian political 
mechanism.  It would mean "forgive and forget" and engage 
in a "dialogue" with a new perspective. Furthermore, the 
territorial question with Turkey might also be complicated.  
As it is customary with saints, does it mean that the places 
where Armenians were martyred would be considered 
shrines or an Armenian "holy land."  Still, there are many 
indirect political implications which need to be carefully 
examined.
	
The proposal of the two Catholicoi to canonize the victims of 
the Genocide should be examined in light of the complexities 
of the issue.  Since the details of their proposal are not 
available--so far they have not been public--and based on the 
state of events in the Armenian Church, the proposal seems 
to serve as an added "glitter" to the observance of the 75th 
anniversary of the Genocide.  Seventy five years have passed 
and the world seems to "ignore" the victims of the Genocide, 
thus, in our frustration, the ultimate honor that we can render 
our victims is to declare them "saints".  We would do 
injustice to our victims if we canonize them without 
recognizing their martyrdom for Christ and its impact on our 
lives individually and on our nation collectively.  The saints 
are canonized primarily for the faithful.  Declaring the 
victims as saints is not rewarding them the "medal of honor," 
but it is to follow their example in obtaining the "heavenly 
crown of glory."  It is to perpetuate their witness to Christ 
through our own mission and evangelism in this world.

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