[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 22735-22736]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING HIS HOLINESS ARAM I, CATHOLICOS OF THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC 
                                 CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GRACE F. NAPOLITANO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 7, 2005

  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the second 
largest Armenian-American community in the state of California to 
welcome His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic 
Church. We are honored that His Holiness will be visiting our state 
during his October pontifical travels.

[[Page 22736]]

  Catholicos Aram I has served the Armenian Apostolic Church with 
distinction since he was consecrated as spiritual leader in July of 
1995. His major priority has been to reorganize and revitalize the work 
of the church, particularly in the areas of theological education, 
cultural activities, youth outreach, and the promotion of peace, 
justice and human rights. Additionally, he has increased the social 
service work of the church, improving assistance to orphans, to 
vulnerable children, to the elderly, and to the disabled.
  I am particularly grateful that His Holiness will be visiting the 
38th Congressional District on Oct. 8th, where he will attend a 
ceremony at the Armenian Genocide Monument at Bicknell Park in the city 
of Montebello. This is the only Armenian Genocide Monument to reside on 
public property in the United States. It is a reminder to our 
communities of the horrible atrocities that befell the Armenian people 
90 years ago, and the world's continuing struggle against genocide 
wherever it occurs.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a special privilege to serve my constituency on 
the Committee on International Relations, which recently passed H. Con. 
Res. 195, Commemorating and Recognizing the Armenian Genocide, and H. 
Res. 316, Affirming the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide. 
H. Con. Res. 195 acknowledges the systematic and deliberate 
annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, and H. 
Res. 316 recalls the proud history of U.S. intervention in opposition 
to the Armenian Genocide. I hope the full House will have an 
opportunity to vote on and pass these important bills. The United 
States Congress must honor the many survivors of the Armenian Genocide 
who have made our nation and my district their home.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in welcoming His Holiness 
Aram I as he visits the Armenian Genocide Monument in Montebello, CA. 
This will be a rare opportunity for the Armenian Apostolic community in 
my district to hear from their spiritual leader. My district, the Los 
Angeles region, and the state of California are deeply honored by his 
visit.

                          ____________________