Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, His Holiness Sahak II hosted the aid branches of the church in the patriarchate hall.
He exchanged ideas about the importance of social assistance and the aid made during the pandemic period.
The statement published on the Patriarchate’s Facebook page is as follows;
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL HELP HAS BEEN HIGHLIGHTED ON THE PATRIARCHATE ONCE AGAIN
As it is known, the service of helping the poor has received the close attention of the Patriarchate’s Office, especially recently. In order to exchange ideas about this service and to make the service more widespread, a meeting was held on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, at 16:00, in the Patriarchate reception hall, hosted by His Beatitude Patriarch Sahak II. Deputy Patriarch Father Krikor Damadyan, Patriarchate Social Aid Branch coordinator Haçik Canel, representatives of churches with the aid branch and volunteers who contributed to social assistance attended the meeting.
The meeting started with the opening prayer and good wishes of Patriarch Sahak II. After saying “welcome” to the participants, Sahak Maşalyan thanked them for the useful service they provided. Stating that the importance of social solidarity has increased more recently, especially during the pandemic process, he praised the work of all volunteers who provide assistance to those in need. Patriarch Sahak II stated that the Authority of the Patriarchate has a special interest for those in need and will continue to do so in the future.
After the speech of Patriarch Sahak II, Haçik Canel took the floor and provided information about the previous works. He reminded the importance of the establishment of a social assistance branch under the roof of the Patriarchate, especially during the pandemic process. The task of coordinating this work under the roof of the Patriarchate was given to him by the instructions of Patriarch Sahak II. The main purpose of this branch is to communicate with the aid branches in churches, and to provide social assistance to families in need, with the support of charities and volunteers. In recent months, church foundation governing boards, which do not have aid branches, have also supported the work of this branch. On this occasion, Haçik Canel presented detailed information about the donations, expenditures and the aids collected in the past. He introduced the young people who were present at the meeting and stated that they were very useful to the social assistance branch in the past. Considering that hundreds of families had been helped by the Patriarchate before, it was obvious that this work was progressing successfully. The main principle of the service was to identify those in need and to deliver aid fairly. Stating that this work, which has gained momentum in the past months, should continue, he thanked His Beatitude the Patriarch who showed determination in this matter and invited the necessary branches to the Patriarchate.
After Canel’s speech, those present at the meeting shared their experiences and especially their work during the pandemic period. The pandemic process was instrumental for the aid branches in churches to work more actively. In this context, the importance of working together with the church aid branches, foundation governing boards and religious officials were once again emphasized.
At the end of the meeting, Patriarch Sahak II sanctified the participants. Stating that social assistance is based on the Bible, he emphasized that this activity is a charity work. He reminded that besides spiritual and educational services in churches, social assistance services also have an important place. In this context, Patriarch Sahak II stated that this service should be actively included in the agenda of the church foundation management boards. He advised that the boundaries of the aid branches should be drawn within the church. His Beatitude the Patriarch stated his pleasure to see young faces during this service and said that their active presence adds youth energy to the service. Finally, Sahak Maşalyan wished that the financial and moral difficulties caused by the coronavirus would move away from our lives as soon as possible. The meeting ended with prayer.
