In a directive issued last week, Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisian, Locum Tenens called on the pastors, parishioners of the Canadian Diocese to offer prayers for the Armenians in Kessab.
The Armenian-populated village of Kessab, Syria, has been invaded and is being occupied by armed rebels affiliated with the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. The attacks—which began on Friday, March 21—are reported to originate from across the border in Turkey.
An estimated 670 Armenian families—the majority of the population—have been evacuated from Kessab by the local Armenian community, and have taken refuge in the nearby towns of Basit and Latakia. But a number of Kessabtsi Armenian families have remained in their homes, to care for elderly members too old to move. The local Armenian churches have been desecrated, and local residences and holy places have been shelled and pillaged.
His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, has issued a statement condemning the seizure and destruction of Kessab. He renewed Holy Etchmiadzin’s continuing commitment to collect and deliver material aid to Armenians throughout Syria who are caught up in the terrible civil war.
