Los Angeles Times
April 12 2015
Pope speaks out on Armenian genocide; Turkey pulls ambassador in protest
By Tom Kington
Pope Francis on Sunday described the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks 100 years ago as “genocide,” sparking a diplomatic incident with
Turkey, which denies genocide took place.
Speaking before a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica to mark the centenary
of the killings, Francis defined the slaughter of as many as 1.5
million Armenians as “the first genocide of the 20th century,” quoting
a statement made by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
“The remaining two were perpetrated by Nazism and Stalinism,” he said.
“And more recently there have been other mass killings, like those in
Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia.”
Francis said it was “necessary, and indeed a duty” to remember the
Armenians killed, “for whenever memory fades, it means that evil
allows wounds to fester. Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a
wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it!”
Though he is not the first pope to use “genocide” to describe the
Armenian massacre, and he previously used the word in 2013 to describe
the killings, his speech on Sunday carried extra weight because it was
delivered on the anniversary of the slaughter, in St. Peter’s and in
the presence of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Armenian church
leaders, who attended the service.
In response, Turkey summoned the Vatican’s ambassador to the country
to complain about Francis’ remarks, saying it had expressed “great
disappointment and sadness” and accused the pope of being
discriminatory because he cited only Christian Armenians, and not
Muslims.
Turkey also recalled its ambassador to the Vatican over the incident,
according to the Associated Press.
Turkey claims that just half a million Armenians died in fighting when
they rose up against their Ottoman rulers after World War I, and
denies that their deaths constitute an act of genocide.
That position conflicts with the views of most historians of the
period, who agree that Armenians were victims of genocide. A number of
countries have issued statements over the years condemning Turkey’s
actions as genocide. Although President Obama, before his election,
referred several times to the deaths as genocide, he has not done so
as president, maintaining his predecessors’ reluctance to alienate
Turkey, a highly valued ally in the Middle East.
Francis’ comments were hailed in Southern California’s large Armenian
community, which has lobbied for years for official recognition of the
genocide.
“As far as the Armenian American community is concerned, the pope has
taken a courageous stand despite the threats from the republic of
Turkey,” Glendale Mayor Zareh Sinanyan said.
Sinanyan said Turkey’s denial of the genocide and the United States’
refusal to acknowledge it has not allowed Armenians to move on from
the killings.
“It’s like a bleeding wound that just won’t go away,” he said.
“There’s no closure, there’s no healing.”
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), who is the lead sponsor of the proposed
Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution, also praised the pope
and called again for action by the United States.
“Pope Francis has proven himself a remarkable figure in every way, and
his recognition today of the Armenian genocide was another courageous
milestone in his papacy,” he said in a statement issued by his office.
“I hope that the pope’s words will inspire our president and Congress
to demonstrate a like commitment to speaking the truth about the
Armenian genocide and to renounce Turkey’s campaign of concealment and
denial.”
Turkey said Francis’ comments “contradicted his message of peace,
reconciliation and dialogue” made during his visit to Turkey in
November.
“The pope’s statement, which is far from the legal and historical
reality, cannot be accepted,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu wrote in a tweet on Sunday.
“Religious authorities are not the places to incite resentment and
hatred with baseless allegations,” he added.
Francis now risks losing Turkey’s support as he seeks to defend
Christian communities being persecuted by Islamic State in Syria and
Iraq. Many Christians have sought refuge in Turkey, a predominantly
Muslim country, as they have fled the Islamist militants.
Describing those communities on Sunday, Francis portrayed the “muffled
and forgotten cry of so many of our defenseless brothers and sisters
who, on account of their faith in Christ or their ethnic origin, are
publicly and ruthlessly put to death — decapitated, crucified, burned
alive — or forced to leave their homeland.”
In a speech made at St Peter’s before the mass, Karekin II, the
patriarch of the Armenian Church, used the word “genocide” 13 times.
“With a deliberate plan, with horrific atrocities, one and a half
million Armenians were slaughtered,” he said. “Our ancient people were
uprooted from their cherished cradle of life — their historic
homeland — and scattered over different countries. Our centuries-old
Christian legacy heritage was ruined, obliterated, and seized.”
Kington is a special correspondent. Staff writers Soumya Karlamangla
and Ruben Vives in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Copyright (c) 2015, Los Angeles Times
UPDATES
10:34 a.m.: This article has been updated with comments from Glendale
Mayor Zareh Sinanyan and Rep. Adam Schiff.
9:12 a.m.: This article has been updated throughout with staff
reporting and background.
5:36 a.m.: This article has been updated with Turkey’s reaction.
1:29 a.m.: This article has been updated with additional quotes and background.
This article was originally published at 12:51 a.m.
From: A. Papazian