Mashable
April 12 2015
Turkey is not pleased with pope’s Armenian ‘genocide’ comment
Pope Francis on Sunday called the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks “the first genocide of the 20th century” and urged the
international community to recognize it as such, sparking a diplomatic
rift with Turkey.
Turkey, which has long denied a genocide took place, immediately
summoned the Vatican ambassador to complain, and promised a fuller
official response.
On Sunday afternoon, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry reportedly recalled the
Turkish ambassador to the Vatican, Antonio Lucibello, to Ankara for
consultation.
“The pope’s statement, which is far from historic and legal truths, is
unacceptable,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted. “Religious
positions are not places where unfounded claims are made, and hatred
is stirred.”
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 and children who were
“senselessly” murdered by Ottoman Turks 100 years ago this month.
“Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding
without bandaging it,” he said at the start of a Mass in the Armenian
Catholic rite in St. Peter’s Basilica honoring the centenary.
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.”
Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey, however, has insisted that the toll has been inflated, and
that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest, not genocide.
It has fiercely lobbied to prevent countries, including the Holy See,
from officially recognizing the Armenian massacre as genocide.
Turkey’s embassy to the Holy See canceled a planned news conference
for Sunday, presumably after learning that Francis would utter the
word “genocide” over its objections. Instead, the Foreign Ministry in
Ankara issued a statement conveying its “great disappointment and
sadness.” It said the pope’s words signaled a loss in trust,
contradicted his message of peace and was discriminatory because he
only mentioned the pain of Christians, not Muslims or other religious
groups.
Reaction to Francis’ declaration on the streets in Istanbul was mixed.
Some said they supported it, while others disagreed.
“I don’t support the word genocide being used by a great religious
figure who has many followers,” said Mucahit Yucedal, 25. “Genocide is
a serious allegation.”
Francis’ words had an immediate effect in St. Peters, where the head
of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Aram I, thanked Francis for his
clear condemnation, and said “genocide” is a crime against humanity
that requires reparation.
International law spells out clearly that condemnation, recognition
and reparation of a genocide are closely interconnected International
law spells out clearly that condemnation, recognition and reparation
of a genocide are closely interconnected ,” Aram said in English at
the end of the Mass to applause from the pews, where many wept.
Speaking as if he were at a political rally, Aram said the Armenian
cause is a cause of justice, and that justice is a gift of God.
“Therefore, the violation of justice is a sin against God,” he said.
Several European countries recognize the massacres as genocide,
although Italy and the United States, for example, have avoided using
the term officially, given the importance they place on Turkey as an
ally.
The Holy See, too, places great importance on its relationship with
the moderate Muslim nation, especially as it demands Muslim leaders to
condemn the slaughter of Christians by Muslim extremists in
neighboring Iraq and Syria.
But Francis’ willingness to rile Ankara with his words showed once
again that he has few qualms about taking diplomatic risks for issues
close to his heart. He took a similar risk by inviting the Israeli and
Palestinian presidents to pray together for peace at the Vatican — a
summit that was followed by the outbreak of fighting in the Gaza
Strip.
Francis is not the first pope to call the massacre a genocide. In his
remarks, Francis cited a 2001 declaration signed by St. John Paul II
and the Armenian church leader, Karenkin II, which said the deaths
were considered “the first genocide of the 20th century.”
But the context of Francis’ pronunciation was different and
significant: He uttered the words during an Armenian rite Mass in St.
Peter’s Basilica marking the 100th anniversary of the slaughter,
alongside the Armenian Catholic patriarch, Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni,
Armenian Christian church leaders and Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan, who sat in a place of honor in the basilica.
The definition of genocide has long been contentious. The United
Nations in 1948 defined genocide as killing and other acts intended to
destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, but many
dispute which mass killings should be called genocide.
In his remarks Sunday, Francis said the Armenian slaughter was the
first of three “massive and unprecedented” genocides last century that
was followed by the Holocaust and Stalinism. He said other mass
killings had followed, including in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and
Bosnia.
From: A. Papazian