ROME –  The Community of Sant’Egidio remembers the Armenian Genocide of WW1.

In the lead up to Easter, at time at which we reflect upon Christians who have been subject to persecution, the Community of Sant’Egidio reminds us not to forget the slaughter of approximately 1.5 million Armenians during the First World War. During what some have described as the first holocaust of the 20^th Century, 100 years ago, the Ottoman government systematically deported victims (who were primarily, but not exclusively, Armenian) to Turkey before killing them en masse, putting an end to a long period of peace and harmony between Christians, Jews and Muslims. The start of this period of bloodshed is generally considered to be 24 April 1915, the day on which authorities arrested some 250 Armenian officials and intellectuals in Constantinople.

As an organisation aiming to encourage an inter-religious dialogue and to promote mutual understanding between religions, the Community therefore proposes that 24 April should become a day of remembrance for the Christian martyrs of the 20^th and 21^st Centuries. The Community believes that solidarity and prayer are necessary “so that the memory of the victims gives all Christians the strength to resist the evil which today threatens the word of the Gospel.”

For more information email com@santegidio.org or call +39 06585661