October 12, 2015
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AGBU Buenos Aires Hosts Mass for Pope Francis

  • On June 24, AGBU Buenos Aires held a mass at the Metropolita
    On June 24, AGBU Buenos Aires held a mass at the Metropolitan Catholic Cathedral for Pope Francis in gratitude for his advocacy in recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
  • The choir 100 Voces Para El Centenario [100 Voices for the C
    The choir 100 Voces Para El Centenario [100 Voices for the Centenary], directed by Diana Kaprielian Sarafian and organized specifically for the commemorations, also sang during the mass.

On June 24, AGBU Buenos Aires held a mass at the Metropolitan Catholic Cathedral for Pope Francis in gratitude for his advocacy in recognizing the Armenian Genocide. During the April 12 mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis referred to the Armenian Genocide and described it as the first genocide of the twentieth century.

The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Mario Poli, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and was celebrated by Armenian priests. The choir 100 Voces Para El Centenario [100 Voices for the Centenary], directed by Diana Kaprielian Sarafian and organized specifically for the commemorations, also sang during the mass.

Pope Francis has a longstanding friendship with the Armenian community of Buenos Aires. In 2005, as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, head of the Catholic Church of Argentina, he generously offered a space inside the cathedral to place a khachkar dedicated to the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide to mark the ninetieth anniversary of the genocide. The khachkar had been built in Armenia and sent by His Holiness Karekin II. In June, marking the 10th anniversary of the placement of the khachkar and before the mass, members of AGBU Buenos Aires, along with Alexan Harutiunian, Ambassador of Armenia to Argentina, and several community leaders, placed a wreath next to the khachkar.

For more information about AGBU Buenos Aires, please visit http://www.ugab.org.ar/.

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