Agence France Presse
May 7, 2008 Wednesday 1:26 PM GMT

Armenian Church head urges ‘genocide’ be denounced

VATICAN CITY, May 7 2008

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church Karekin II called on all
nations to condemn the 1915-1917 Armenian massacres as "genocide", at
a general audience with pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday.

"Today, we call on all nations to universally denounce the Armenian
genocide" so that "those in power judge which parties were
responsible," Karekin II told around 20,000 people gathered in
St. Peter’s Square.

More than 20 countries — including Belgium, Canada, Poland, Russia,
Switzerland and France — have officially recognised the massacre of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks committed between 1915 and 1917 as
genocide.

Benedict XVI’s predecessor, John Paul II, in 2000 condemned the
killings as genocide, provoking a protest from Turkey.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen died in orchestrated
killings during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey says 300,000 Armenians and at least an equal number of Turks
were killed in civil strife when the Christian Armenians, backed by
Russia, rose up against the Ottomans.

In 2007, Turkey removed its ambassador from Washington after a US
congressional committee approved a resolution recognising the events
as genocide. The resolution was never passed.

Karekin II, also known as the catholicos of the Armenian Orthodox
church, was to attend a papal audience Friday.