It is with great sorrow that we received the tragic news of the assassination of Hrant Dink, the prominent intellectual and editor in chief of the Agos newspaper in Istanbul, Turkey.  Hrant Dink joins the group of martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. His dedication and courage has earned the admiration of not only his readers in Turkey, but the entire Armenian Diaspora.

The Western Diocese of the Armenian Church will hold a special vigil tonight at 8:00pm at the Diocesan Headquarters, in Burbank, and would like to invite the faithful to join us in this solemn occasion. A short video will be shown of Mr. Dink’s recent visit to the Diocese on November 5^th, 2006.

Our prayers go out to his friends and relatives who are grieving at this time, as well as to the entire Armenian Community inside Turkey and throughout the world.