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Turkey summons Vatican envoy over Pope's 'genocide' remarks

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  • Turkey summons Vatican envoy over Pope's 'genocide' remarks

    Press TV, Iran
    April 12 2015

    Turkey summons Vatican envoy over Pope's 'genocide' remarks


    Turkey has summoned the Vatican envoy in Ankara to hear Turkish
    government's protest over the Pope Francis' remarks describing the
    massacre of Armenians a century ago as "genocide."

    The ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on
    Sunday, but the Turkish government has yet to make an official
    statement on Francis' comments.

    The pontiff used the word "genocide" to describe the massacre of
    Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War I. He made the
    controversial remarks during a Sunday solemn mass in Saint Peter's
    Basilica.

    Referring to a statement signed by John Paul II and the Armenian
    patriarch in 2001, Francis said, "The first, which is widely
    considered 'the first genocide of the 20th century', struck your own
    Armenian people."

    The 78-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church added, "We recall
    the centenary of that tragic event, that immense and senseless
    slaughter whose cruelty your forebears had to endure."

    "It is necessary, and indeed a duty, to honor their memory, for
    whenever memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester,"
    Francis said.

    Pope said he felt obliged to honor the memory of innocent men, women,
    children, priests and bishops, who were 'senselessly' murdered.

    Ankara rejects the term "genocide" and instead says the 300,000 to
    500,000 Armenians, and at least as many Turks, who perished between
    1915 and 1917 were the casualties of World War I.

    Armenia, however, says up to 1.5 million of its people were killed and
    demands that their death be recognized as genocide.

    Armenia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Russia and Uruguay
    formally recognize the incident as genocide.


    JR/KA/SS
    http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/04/12/405937/Turkey-protests-Pope-genocide-remarks

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