(AGI) Etchmiadzin, Armenia, Apr 23 - The 1.5 million victims ofthe Armenian genocide have been declared saints. The ArmenianChurch celebrated on Thursday the canonization of the victimsof the genocide caused by the Ottoman Turks. However, Turkeydenies the word 'genocide'. The canonization ceremony wascelebrated by the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church,Kerekin II, in Etchmiadzin, which is about 20 kilometres fromthe capital, Erevan. The event took place in front of a 4thcentury building considered to be the oldest Christiancathedral in the world. "Over one million Armenians weredeported, killed, and tortured, but they all remained loyal toChrist," said Kerekin II during the ceremony, which ended at19:15 (7:15 pm) local time, like the year in which the genocidebegan. Just before the Mass, the bells of all the churches inthe country rang, as well as in many churches across the world,including ones in Madrid, Berlin, Venice and Paris, where aminute of silence was observed. "There is not one Armenianwhose ancestors did not suffer from the genocide," said Gaguik,a citizen of Erevan and a descendant of a family affected bythe genocide. The Armenians have counted 1.5 million peoplekilled between 1915 and 1917 during the years of the OttomanEmpire, and in about 20 countries including France and Russia,which have recognized the genocide. Turkey has rejected theterm 'genocide' and has called it a civil war in Anatolia witha subsequent famine that killed 300,000 - 500,000 Armenians andTurks.. .