Evangelina Himitian: The Pope said he liked my book very much - Mediamax.am

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Evangelina Himitian: The Pope said he liked my book very much


Evangelina Himitian
Evangelina Himitian

Photo: Mediamax

Evangelina Himitian
Evangelina Himitian

Photo: Mediamax

Evangelina Himitian
Evangelina Himitian

Photo: Mediamax

Evangelina Himitian
Evangelina Himitian

Photo: Mediamax

Evangelina Himitian
Evangelina Himitian

Photo: Mediamax

Evangelina Himitian
Evangelina Himitian

Photo: Mediamax

Evangelina Himitian
Evangelina Himitian

Photo: Mediamax

“Francis, the People’s Pope” book
“Francis, the People’s Pope” book

Photo: Mediamax


Evangelina Himitian from Argentinean LA NACION newspaper is one of the journalists who traveled to Armenia to cover the Papal visit.

 

She is the daughter of an Armenian evangelical pastor in Argentina, Jorge (Hrair) Himitian. He was friends with then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, elected Pope Francis in 2013, during his time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

 

Evangelina’s acquaintance with Jorge Bergoglio turned to more active interaction later because of her work as a journalist, and in 2013 her book “Francis, the People’s Pope” was published.

 

Evangelina Himitian talked to Mediamax in Yerevan.

 

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Unfortunately, I don’t speak Armenian. My mother is Argentinean, and my father is Armenian. I have many friends among Armenians, but alas, I can’t speak the language. I know well the story of my great grandparents, though.

 

They both were saved by Turkish peasants during the Genocide. My father said my great grandmother Vergine was nine years old, when her family was evicted from Aintab. She watched her family burn that night. Only she, her brother and sister survived, saved by a Turkish peasant.

Evangelina Himitian Evangelina Himitian

Photo: Mediamax

My great grandfather Movses was 15 years old at that time. His whole family was murdered by Turks, and he was sent on a death march to Syrian deserts with a group of men. He managed to escape on the way and found shelter at a house of a Turkish peasant, who took care of him. He went to Syria eventually. My great grandparents met there, got married, lived in Aleppo, then Haifa. They decided to move to Argentina after WW2 and start a new life there.

 

Our whole family was deeply touched, when the Pope held a special Holy Mass in April 2015 and defined the events of 1915 as Genocide. It showed that people share our grief and accept that the genocide happened. It not for it, if my ancestors weren’t murdered at that time, I wouldn’t be in Argentina now.

 

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This is my first visit to Armenia. I’m very excited. It seems like a piece has been missing from the puzzle of my life, and now it is finally in place.

 

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My father, who lead the Council of Evangelical Pastors in Buenos Aires, met Cardinal Bergoglio in 2001. They became friends, held masses together. They were united by the fact that they both came from immigrant families, took the hard path of settling in a new place and started from scratch.

Evangelina Himitian Evangelina Himitian

Photo: Mediamax

The Pope was very close to Armenian community of Argentina. Embassy of Armenia is near the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral, and he would often visit the community and the Embassy.

 

A strong fire erupted at one of Buenos Aires’s night clubs in December 2004. It killed around 200 people, most of them young. The families of the victims were in need of moral support after the incident, someone had to talk to them and console them. Cardinal Bergoglio called the head of Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese and asked him for assistance. Cardinal’s sympathy to Armenians of Argentina grew stronger after this occurrence.

 

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Cardinal didn’t like to talk to journalists. When he was the Archbishop, I often tried to interview him, but I didn’t succeed. He didn’t want to be in the centre of media’s attention. He preferred to speak off-the-record. He was very modest and collected, the way he is now.

 

Once I published an article on the poor condition of needy families living at the city’s station, and he contacted me through his assistant, emailing that he read my article and liked it very much.

Evangelina Himitian Evangelina Himitian

Photo: Mediamax

When I began covering the matters of the Church, reasons to meet the Cardinal multiplied. At a meeting on the church matters once Cardinal Bergoglio was asked what restaurant he would like to dine at. He replied that he wouldn’t go to a restaurant, but rather have dinner at the same place as other participants. So the pastors were the first to sit at the dining table.

Evangelina Himitian Evangelina Himitian

Photo: Mediamax

When it was time for the journalists to eat, we approached the table and saw that almost nothing was left. We took whatever was there and shared with each other. Cardinal saw that, took the food from the pastors’ table and gave it to us. He’s always been this thoughtful, willing and modest man.

 

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When Cardinal was elected Pope in 2013, my father and some other Argentinean pastors visited Vatican. As a journalist covering church matters, I went with them. When we reached the Pope’s residence, security guards didn’t let me in, as my name wasn’t on the list of the invited persons. The Pope talked to my father about my book.

“Francis, the People’s Pope” book “Francis, the People’s Pope” book

Photo: Mediamax

My father said I was waiting outside, but I wasn’t allowed in. The Pope called security, though, and I entered. We discussed the book, and he said he liked it very much. After that, we interacted from time to time through emails.

 

***

 

I think he was very brave to decide to come to Armenia. He knows already that he’s moving the pieces on the word’s geopolitical chessboard by this visit, and he’s coming to say that peace is really possible here. He prays to God to become a bridge between the nations in building a peaceful future.

 

Yekaterina Poghosyan

Photos by Mariam Loretsyan

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