POPE BENEDICT, GREETING ARMENIAN PATRIARCH, RECALLS PEOPLE’S ‘TERRIBLE PERSECUTION’

AP Worldstream
Mar 20, 2006

Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute Monday to the sufferings of Armenians
because of their Christian faith and recalled their “terrible
persecution,” a reference to the 1.5 million who died in the early
20th century in what Armenia insists was genocide by Turkey.

Benedict recalled Armenians’ history as he welcomed an Armenian
Catholic patriarch, Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, and Armenian pilgrims
to a Vatican audience.

Speaking about the Armenian people through the centuries, the pope
singled out the “sufferings which they underwent in the name of the
Christian faith in the years of the terrible persecution that went
down in history with the sadly meaningful name ‘metz yeghern,’ the
great evil.'”

Benedict was citing the term used by Armenians to refer to what they
say was genocide conducted by Turkey. Turkey vehemently denies that
the deaths were genocide and has harshly criticized countries which
call it as such.

Benedict did not use the term “genocide” in his official remarks. His
predecessor, Pope John Paul II, called the deaths genocide but did
not declare any party responsible.

In 301, Armenia became the world’s first country to declare itself
Christian.