Pope Francis calls Armenia’s mass killings a genocide



Pope Francis denounced what he called the ideologically twisted and planned “genocide” of Armenians by Ottoman-era Turks a century ago on a visit to Armenia for a deeply symbolic weekend visit to mark the centenary of the massacre.

In the most carefully watched speech of his visit, Francis ad-libbed the key word “genocide” to his prepared text that had conspicuously left it out.

And rather than merely repeat what had said last year – that the slaughter was “considered the first genocide of the 20th century,” Francis declared it genocide flat out on the first day of his three-day visit to the country.

In the run-up to the visit, the Vatican had backed off using the term “genocide,” mindful of Turkish opposition to the political and financial implications of the word given Armenian claims for reparations.

But Francis added the word in at the last minute in a speech at the presidential palace to President Serzh Sargsyan, Armenian political and religious leaders and the diplomatic corps.

They gave him a standing ovation.

Many historians consider the massacres of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians genocide.

Turkey rejects the term, says the death figure is inflated and that people died on both sides as the Ottoman Empire collapsed amid World War I.

The US administration, keen to avoid alienating Turkey which is a NATO ally, tends to avoid using the word genocide.

However, as both a senator and a presidential candidate, Barack Obama described the killings in very clear terms.

“The Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence,” he stated in 2006.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-06-25

This will please that ars**ole of a Turkish President

All explained here (click image):

If link doesn't work, try here from 1 minute 20 seconds:

Edited June 25, 201610 yr by JetsetBkk

So after 100 years the Pope speaks.

I guess he not going on holiday to Turkey this year....

New pope in 2017 ?

Is he willing to comment on the Catholic Church atrocities over the years?

pope is just saying these for more affluence and influence at orthodox world and armenia. he might say opposite when he visits Turkey for more affluence there!

and like pope is historian. if he is, he is definitely not a good one.

one needs to criticize his/her own history first before others'.

never forget pope, same catholic christians murdered, raped and plundered hundreds of thousands orthodox christians during 'Crusades' in constantinople, anatolia and balkans together with countless muslim. was that a genocide too?

pope also needs to answer the help of catholic church to nazis for the genocide in germany and inquisition courts burned people alive (some say around 9 million women) and many more throughout history too.

so yes, pope is a hypocrite too and such rhetoric does not help the situation.

please lets leave these matters to historians, not to religion mongers for affluence or politicians for more votes and chair. we just provide more blood for bloodsuckers.

and i feel very sorry for countless Armenians massacred during world war one a century ago. turks need to accept those massacres, apologize with a true, open heart and provide compensation.

Edited June 25, 201610 yr by Galactus

Pope to pronounce the name of the civilized Western world to make clear that Turkey doesn't belong.

He's right. I hope he will now also tell us about the "genocides" committed in the name of Christianity.

Pope must have a short memory :

https://www.theguardian.com/world/1981/may/14/catholicism.religion2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II_assassination_attempt

That is a very very disturbing facial expression.

The Guys in the photo look like the opposing movement to the Klu Klux Klan.

It's all words, used for a specific gain. I am unsure why the Turks are so opposed to the word Genocide. It is not a reflection on anybody living today and it was, well, .....genocide. There is no other term for it. Acknowledge, apologise (probably not required, as it is meaningless) , move on.