Latin Rite Roman Catholics of Armenian Descent in Syria

LATIN RITE ROMAN CATHOLICS OF ARMENIAN DESCENT IN SYRIA Hagop Cholakian* The article discusses the Latin Catholic proselytism that took place starting the late 19th century in northwestern regions of Syria with dense Armenian population, the conditions and methods of spreading the Latin rite Roman Catholic faith, the composition of Latin communities of Armenian descent, as well as the existence of numerous Armenian families that comprise separate churches or are scattered among the non-Armenian Latin rite Roman Catho- lic communities. The essence of Latin Church and its approach to the national values are touched upon; thereafter efforts to bring the Latin rite Roman Catholics back to the Armenian Church, as well as the current situation of the remaining Latins are presented. An attempt is made to present in this article all of the above-mentioned topics against the backdrop of the general situation related to foreign religious movements and the Armenian Church. The Background of Foreign Proselytism Although in the 19th century the Armenian Church was properly represented in the region with three Hierarchical Sees (Sis Catholicosate, Constantinople and Jerusalem Patriarchates), yet none of the diocese authorities operated normally. Church wardens and candle-store managers were representatives of local landowner families. The supervisors of the Church-owned lands, archi- * Hamazkayin Institute for Armenian Studies (Syria). 54 «21st CENTURY», № 1 (11), 2012 H.Cholakian mandrites or bishops, would visit the area just once a year to collect the tithe on the harvest, like an ordinary estate inspector or mutawalli. After adoption of the Armenian National Constitution (in the Ottoman Empire) both the Sis Catholicosate and Jerusalem Patriarchate staged silent opposition to the Con- stantinople Patriarchate, but avoided assuming responsibilities for the urgent needs of the people, whereas the Constantinople Patriarchate waited the Constitutional authorities to come forward first and only then would tend to intervene and provide assistance. The region suffered from a confusion of tri- ple diocesan power, where each faction pursued their own interests. Articles and complaints frequently appearing in the press actually remained unan- swered. This inauspicious spiritual, educational, social, economic and national situation of the Armenians in Cilicia and Antioch region did not change. The inability, indifference and internal strife of the Armenian Church were major spurs pushing the Armenian people towards foreign creeds. Being aware of the troubled state of affairs in the Cilicia and Antioch dioceses, absence of supreme religious authority and disorderly situation in the parishes, the Catholicos of All Armenians Khrimian Hayrik wrote in his encyclical dated February 11, 1899 to Maghakia Ormanian, the Armenian Pa- triarch of Constantinople: “More and more lamenting and sorrowful letters from the land of Cilicia are reaching me. Reading these letters makes me sad, letters that not only roar – it’s famine, famine – but also tell about the conditions of the abandoned and pastor-less people for whom there is no shepherd and leader, no overseer and visitor.” Khrimian was very much concerned about the wave of faith conversions that had been gradually increasing: “Woe unto me and woe unto you; I am now horrified and so should be you, as the historical chronicles will record that ‘in the times of pontificate of Mkrtich Catholicos and patriarchate of Archbishop Ormanian, vast parishes of Cilicia and Vaspurakan converted to Catholicism.’ The historians will not limit it to this short sentence, but will lay down many accusations in the pages of their 55 H.Cholakian «21st CENTURY», № 1 (11), 2012 historical accounts. We shall work and do our best to erase with God’s help this shameful and disgraceful future book of history.”1 In these circumstances the Protestant preaching has made great ad- vances in the region in the mid-19th century. Protestantism has penetrated in almost all settlements, and in some places it took the whole population under its umbrella. Missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners, and later also the Anglican and Irish churches sponsored this movement, often clashing with each other. The Catholic movement penetrated the region with the same strength, although the Andonian-Hassunian controversy arisen in 1870s weakened its vigor. Later the Latin rite Roman Catholic missions came to the assistance of the Catholic clerics, thus setting grounds for establishment of a church with a different Catholic rite, the Latin Church.2 The Forming Patterns of the Neophyte Communities The fathers of the Latin Church employed the same methods as the Protestant and Catholic preachers did previously to proselytize among Armenians and establish their communities. For example: • Under some favorable circumstances arisen in the Ottoman Empire, a social class had emerged in large villages, towns and cities that had an upper hand in market relations; in 1840-50s they tried to take over the spiritual and educational affairs, and met opposition from the old authorities. The foreign missionaries came to their assistance and that is how the Protestant, Catholic and Latin communities were created and recognized as separate “millets”, independent from the “Ermeni millet” that were people adhering to the Armenian Church. 1 Վաւերագրեր Հայ Եկեղեցու Պատմութեան, Գիրք Դ., կազմեցª Սանտրօ Բեհբուդեան, Երեւան, 1997, pp. 18-19, վաւերագիր թիւ 6: 2 In order to avoid complicating the article with too many references, it is suggested to see the following works by the author: «Քեսապ», Ա. հատոր, Հալէպ, 1995, sections «Քեսապը 19րդ դարու առաջին կիսուն», «Համայնքներ», «Մայր համայնքին վիճակը», «Կրթական տեսութիւն», pp. 55-80. «Քե- սապ», Գ. հատոր, Հալէպ, 2004, section «Ազգայնական շարժումը Հայ Աւետ. համայնքէն ներս», pp. 411-458. «Անտիոքի Մերձակայ Ռուճի Հովիտի Հայերը», Անթիլիաս, 2006, chapters «Լատին քարոզչութիւնըը եւ Գնիէի լատինացումը՚ եւ ՙՌուճի Հովիտը Մեծ Եղեռնէն ետք», pp. 122-205: 56 «21st CENTURY», № 1 (11), 2012 H.Cholakian • These converted persons put the peasantry in a market-based depend- ence and exerted influence over them, gradually converting whole settlements. • In the Antioch district the foreign creeds were forced upon people first of all through conversion of the priests and sometimes the managers of the church candle-stores. The priests and candle-store managers did not want to be accountable and seized the church revenues and lands under the powerful protection of foreign missionaries in courts of law. • The fight for ownership of church buildings often ended in their de- struction. The newly formed community usually received a permission to build a new church, whereas the mother community was unable to win the right to restore its church or even to claim the ownership of the ruins. Court cases took decades and the mother community would never win anything. An interesting fact to mention is that litigation continues up to date over the ruins of the Holy Mother of God Church in Karaduran village of Kessab district that had been razed in 1860. • The converted communities saw quick changes in their spiritual, educational, economic, social and everyday life aspects. They would have offi- cial lyceums, adult schools, nicely constructed church school buildings, doctors and sanatoriums, job/business opportunities, and new phenomena entered in their everyday lives and relations. The Armenian community remained impoverished, uneducated and derided; for many people the only way out of this situation was to convert to the foreign creed. • Almost everywhere the relations soured between the neophytes and adherents of the Mother Church. Intermarriages were forbidden, the Ar- menian estates were destructed or taken over, and even the cemeteries became subject of disputes. • The adherents of foreign creeds always felt protected before high authorities of the Ottoman Empire, and hence, before the local officials and ad- 57 H.Cholakian «21st CENTURY», № 1 (11), 2012 ministrators. In addition to being protected by the foreign missionaries who considered the converts their own flock, the neophytes also enjoyed protection of the Italian, UK, German, French and American consulates in Latakia, Antioch, Aleppo, Alexandretta, which did anything that the missionaries told them to do. In exchange for conversion, the foreign missionaries protected the people from malevolence of Ottoman officials and even from arbitrary actions of some Armenian leaders. Emergence of Latin Rite Roman Catholic Communities The Latin rite Roman Catholicism made its first appearance in the region in 1878, in the Arab-speaking Ghneye village. Members of Jobie family were indignant with the village head Hanneh and incited some of the co-villagers who they were to some extent dependent on them against Hanneh. The Prel- ate of Aleppo confirmed Hanneh’s position and did not allow the Jobies to interfere with the church and educational affairs. The village priest Rev. Mes- rob Nazlian from Karin was obviously against Hanneh’s monocracy and joined the Jobies faction. He claimed ownership of the village’s olive gardens that belonged to the Jerusalem and Cilicia Sees and refused to report to Han- neh.Hhhh The Jobies sought protection with Armenian Catholic and Protes- tant notables in Aleppo. However, due to the Andonian-Hassunian controversy, the Catholics were not able to satisfy the people, and so were not the Protestants, again due to internal strife. At some point the oppositionists sided with the Greek Orthodox, but realizing that an Eastern church would have not been able to protect their autonomy, they appealed to the Latin rite Ro- man Catholic missionaries in Aleppo. These missionaries penetrated the village and added tension to the relations. They created their own community. Along with the Jobies, 30-40 families converted to Latin rite Roman Catholi- cism, including Rev. Mesrob. Hanneh locked the doors of the church and did not let in even the convert priest. The Armenian Church sent a new priest to 58 «21st CENTURY», № 1 (11), 2012 H.Cholakian the village and tried to boost the school activities, but failed to restore the community.

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