Statement by Archbishop Sipan Kashchian on Anniversary of Israeli Attack on Gaza Churches

Sipan Kashchian, Archbishop of the Armenians of Isfahan and South Iran, released a statement on the anniversary of the Israeli attack on churches in Gaza.

The Zionist regime carried out an airstrike on the Holy Church of St. Porphyrius, a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City, on October 19, 2023 last year. The church had been a refuge for many Muslims and Christians alike, and as a result of this attack, at least 18 civilians were killed.

Sipan Kashchian, Archbishop of the Armenians of Isfahan and South Iran, was present yesterday, October 19, along with a group of Christians at one of the Armenian churches in Isfahan, and while referring to Israel’s crimes in Gaza, condemned the Zionist regime’s airstrike on the Holy Church of St. Porphyrius in Gaza City.

He emphasized the oppression and discrimination that the Zionist regime inflicts not only on Muslims living in Palestine but also on Christians, saying: “The expulsion of Christian communities from Palestine, the seizure of property and encroachment on church endowments represent only one aspect of the aggression against Christians living in Palestine, which perhaps has received less attention in the media.”

During a ceremony held yesterday at Isfahan’s church, the Archbishop issued a statement saying: “The Catholicate and Armenian community of Isfahan and South Iran, while once again condemning the daily crimes of the Zionist regime against the oppressed yet heroic people of Palestine and Lebanon, honor the memory of all martyrs of the Axis of Resistance, particularly those martyred in the bombing of the Holy Church of St. Porphyrius in Gaza, and pray for the swift victory of the free and the establishment of peace in the world.

Although after the martyrdom of tens of thousands of innocent children, women and men in Gaza and Lebanon the criminality and brutality of this regime is now evident to all, yet remembering this day and this act specifically teaches everyone that in the actions of the Zionists there exists no human, religious, legal or humanitarian red line.

Hereby, on behalf of myself, the Catholicate and the Armenian community of Isfahan and South Iran, while once again condemning the daily crimes of the Zionist regime against the oppressed yet heroic people of Palestine and Lebanon, we honor the memory of all martyrs of the Axis of Resistance, especially those martyred in the bombing of the Holy Church of St. Porphyrius in Gaza, and we pray for the swift victory of the free and the establishment of peace in the world.”