Council of Christian churches and organizations in the Netherlands has sent a special prayer to the member of parishes to commemorate the 105th years of the Armenian Genocide and its Saint Martyrs, the Armenian Embassy in the Netherlands informs.
“Keeping the memory alive is a condition for a people to survive. Wars and catastrophes are deeply etched in collective memory. Similarly, the Armenian Genocide of 1915,” the Council said in a statement.
“The Armenian community is still seeking recognition worldwide of what happened then and calls on other churches every year to remember and pray for the victims of the genocide in worship on the Sunday before or after April 24,” the Council said.
Prayer
Good and merciful God,
we come to you because you are the source of all life,
we believe that all people are written in the palm of your hand.
Where death and destruction reign, You are our refuge.
Yet it happens again and again
that evil and disaster strike.
So incomprehensible and sometimes so cruel.
We especially remember today
the victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
That their fate is not denied, and that they are not forgotten.
We pray for Turkey and Armenia
That their leaders have the courage
to face together what happened in the past.
That they dare to take steps towards reconciliation.
We pray for the Armenian and Turkish communities in our country
That they feel at home here and are committed
for good relations with each other and with all population groups.
We pray for peace in Syria and Iraq and for the needy people,
We pray for the refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Greece.
That they are no longer hunted, find a new home and can work on their future.
Good and merciful God, have mercy on all who are in need
Be near and empower them,
Through Christ our Lord. Amen
