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National Public Radio NPR, USA
April 12 2015
Pope's Remarks On Armenian 'Genocide' Spark Row With Turkey
Updated at 3:30 p.m. ET
Pope Francis today touched off a diplomatic dispute between the Turkey
and the Holy See when he referred to the mass killing of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks during World War I as "genocide."
That view, long disputed by Turkey, caused Ankara to summon the
Vatican envoy and to recall its own ambassador to the Roman Catholic
Church.
"Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding
without bandaging it," Francis said at Mass Sunday in the Armenian
Catholic rite in St. Peter's Basilica.
The pope called the massacre of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians the
"first genocide of the 20th century."
"Bishops and priests, religious, women and men, the elderly and even
defenseless children and the infirm were murdered," the pontiff said.
It is not the first time that a pope has described the Armenian deaths
as genocide ' Pope John Paul II did so in a written statement.
Even so, it sparked anger from Turkey. Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu tweeted that "Religious offices are not places to incite
hatred and revenge with baseless accusations."
And:
----
Mevlüt ÇavuÅ?oÄ?lu `' @MevlutCavusoglu Follow
The Pope's statement, which is out of touch with both historical facts
and legal basis, is simply unacceptable. +++
6:31 PM - 12 Apr 2015
___
Francis was joined at the Sunday Mass by Armenian President Serge
Sarkisian and Karekin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic
Church.
Armenians recognize April 24, 1915, as the start of the mass killings,
which they have long considered genocide. However, Turks bitterly
dispute that claim, saying the numbers of dead are inflated and that
the dead were killed in the course of fighting during the war.
According to the BBC: "Pope Francis' focus today on Armenia, the first
country to adopt Christianity as its state religion, even before the
conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine, serves as yet another
reminder of the Catholic Church's widely spread roots in Eastern
Europe and the Middle East. More than 20 local Eastern Catholic
Churches, including that of Armenia, remain in communion with Rome."
The AP adds:
"Francis, who has close ties to the Armenian community from his days
in Argentina, defended his pronouncement by saying it was his duty to
honor the memory of the innocent men, women, children, priests and
bishops who were "senselessly" murdered by Ottoman Turks.
"In a subsequent message directed to all Armenians, Francis called on
all heads of state and international organizations to recognize the
truth of what transpired and oppose such crimes 'without ceding to
ambiguity or compromise.'"
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/12/399140913/pope-marks-killing-of-armenians-in-world-war-i-calling-it-genocide
From: A. Papazian
April 12 2015
Pope's Remarks On Armenian 'Genocide' Spark Row With Turkey
Updated at 3:30 p.m. ET
Pope Francis today touched off a diplomatic dispute between the Turkey
and the Holy See when he referred to the mass killing of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks during World War I as "genocide."
That view, long disputed by Turkey, caused Ankara to summon the
Vatican envoy and to recall its own ambassador to the Roman Catholic
Church.
"Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding
without bandaging it," Francis said at Mass Sunday in the Armenian
Catholic rite in St. Peter's Basilica.
The pope called the massacre of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians the
"first genocide of the 20th century."
"Bishops and priests, religious, women and men, the elderly and even
defenseless children and the infirm were murdered," the pontiff said.
It is not the first time that a pope has described the Armenian deaths
as genocide ' Pope John Paul II did so in a written statement.
Even so, it sparked anger from Turkey. Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu tweeted that "Religious offices are not places to incite
hatred and revenge with baseless accusations."
And:
----
Mevlüt ÇavuÅ?oÄ?lu `' @MevlutCavusoglu Follow
The Pope's statement, which is out of touch with both historical facts
and legal basis, is simply unacceptable. +++
6:31 PM - 12 Apr 2015
___
Francis was joined at the Sunday Mass by Armenian President Serge
Sarkisian and Karekin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic
Church.
Armenians recognize April 24, 1915, as the start of the mass killings,
which they have long considered genocide. However, Turks bitterly
dispute that claim, saying the numbers of dead are inflated and that
the dead were killed in the course of fighting during the war.
According to the BBC: "Pope Francis' focus today on Armenia, the first
country to adopt Christianity as its state religion, even before the
conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine, serves as yet another
reminder of the Catholic Church's widely spread roots in Eastern
Europe and the Middle East. More than 20 local Eastern Catholic
Churches, including that of Armenia, remain in communion with Rome."
The AP adds:
"Francis, who has close ties to the Armenian community from his days
in Argentina, defended his pronouncement by saying it was his duty to
honor the memory of the innocent men, women, children, priests and
bishops who were "senselessly" murdered by Ottoman Turks.
"In a subsequent message directed to all Armenians, Francis called on
all heads of state and international organizations to recognize the
truth of what transpired and oppose such crimes 'without ceding to
ambiguity or compromise.'"
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/12/399140913/pope-marks-killing-of-armenians-in-world-war-i-calling-it-genocide
From: A. Papazian