Author: Andres-Papazian

Assyrian International News Agency AINA
April 12 2015

Assyrians Commemorate Genocide

By Susanne Gusten
AL Monitor
Posted 2015-04-12 19:10 GMT

Syriac Christian monks attend a service at the ancient monastery of
Mor Gabriel, near the town of Midyat, in Mardin province of southeast
Turkey, Jan. 13, 2009 (REUTERS/Umit Bektas).Perched on a hilltop
overlooking the plateau of Tur Abdin in southeastern Anatolia, the
ancient Syriac village of Aynwardo commands an excellent defensive
position. In its heavily fortified fourth-century church, a clutch of
desperate Syriacs held out against Ottoman troops and Kurdish
irregulars for 60 days in the summer of 1915, while the Syriac
population throughout the region was being put to the sword. Although
many of the defenders were shot after the siege ended, the resistance
mounted in Aynwardo is proudly remembered by Syriacs as a glimmer of
light in the darkness of their near annihilation. It is therefore to
Aynwardo that local and diaspora Syriacs will march from the market
town of Midyat this summer in what local organizers call the “first
public commemoration of the Syriac genocide” in their homeland of Tur
Abdin.

The Syriacs, also known as Assyrians or Arameans, are an ancient
Mesopotamian people who were among the first to adopt Christianity and
are perhaps best known today for retaining their Aramaic language, a
variant of which was the language of Jesus Christ. Never very
populous, they were decimated by about half in the massacres of
Anatolian Christians that began in 1915. Although these killings
officially targeted Armenians, neither Ottoman authorities nor local
Kurds made a distinction between the Christian peoples in southeastern
Anatolia, famously arguing that “an onion is an onion, no matter what
its color.” Scholars estimate that up to 300,000 Syriacs were killed.
Emigration of the survivors from the region continued for the rest of
the century. The vast majority are dispersed around the globe today
with the events of 1915 seared into their collective memory as the
Year of the Seyfo, or Year of the Sword.

While the world prepares to commemorate what has become known as the
Armenian genocide, however, the Syriacs are still struggling for
international recognition of their ancestors’ fate. “The Assyrian
genocide has remained somewhat in the shadow of the Armenian
genocide,” Sabri Atman, director of the Swedish-based Seyfo Center for
Assyrian Genocide Research, told Al-Monitor. “Historians and
politicians have not been sensitive enough to the issue.”

The campaign for recognition can sometimes be frustrating, activists
say. When the World Council of Arameans, one of several Syriac
diaspora associations, recently petitioned Germany for recognition of
the “Aramean genocide,” the German Foreign Ministry responded with a
pre-formulated letter on the Armenian issue that did not even mention
the Arameans beyond a salutary sentence. The association’s president,
Johny Messo, told Al-Monitor, “Needless to say, we are not content
with this approach.”

The tragedy of the Syriacs has long occupied a blind spot in the
public perception of the 1915 massacres. Even as the slaughter of the
Anatolian Christians was happening, the killing of Syriacs was
underreported by international observers chronicling the fate of the
Armenians. As Atman explains, this was partly because most Assyrians
were killed in the remote villages where they lived and not under the
eyes of foreign observers in cities or on forced deportation marches
like the Armenians.

Later, eyewitness reports on the Syriac dimension of the massacres,
assembled by the British historian Arnold Toynbee, were omitted in the
publication of his papers, the title of which, according to German
historian Gabriele Yonan, was changed from “The Treatment of the
Armenians and the Assyrian Christians in the Ottoman Empire” to “The
Treatment of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.”

Internal factors have also worked against the Syriacs. As Atman points
out, Armenian survivors were better organized than other Ottoman
minorities and more confident in their identity. They were also better
educated and more worldly, rising quickly in the societies of their
diaspora host countries as writers, politicians and artists who could
influence public opinion. While Armenians had developed a sense of
nationhood long before the end of the Ottoman Empire, for the Syriacs
the flight into exile was only the beginning of a search for identity
that continues today. At present, they remain bitterly divided between
those who identify themselves as Assyrians and those who call
themselves Arameans, furthering the confusion of observers and
hindering their common cause of recognition.

“Naturally it saddens us that our tragedy is not known and not
recognized,” said Atman. Beyond sorrow, the lack of recognition has
also brought disadvantages to the Syriacs in real ways. Unlike the
Armenians, Greeks and Jews, the Syriacs have never been accepted by
the Turkish republic as a non-Muslim minority under the Treaty of
Lausanne, a clear breach of the treaty that has never been challenged
by the co-signatories. As a result, they do not even enjoy the limited
minority rights accorded to other minorities, such as their own
schools and the right to safeguard their language and culture.
Subjected to decades of assimilation and Turkification policies, most
remaining Syriacs have fled the region, where only a couple of
thousand remain today.

All the more poignant are the plans for the first genocide
commemoration in Tur Abdin. Events are being led by the Syriac Unity
Association, a local organization that was closed by authorities this
month for technical irregularities in its bylaws. Association
President Yuhanna Aktas told Al-Monitor that having lodged an appeal,
the group remains active pending the decision of the appeals court and
is continuing with its preparations for the commemoration.

Although June was selected for the march to Aynwardo, the organizers
have also decided to hold a symbolic hunger strike in Midyat to
commemorate April 24, the date of the first deportation of Armenian
intellectuals in Constantinople. “It was in June 1915 that the killing
of the Syriacs began in Tur Abdin,” Aktas said. “But since it is the
April date that people now associate with the genocide, that is what
we will do.”

From: A. Papazian

Aleteia
April 12 2015

Pope Francis Proclaims Armenian Monk Doctor of the Church on Divine Mercy Sunday

And 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

(Vatican Radio) On Divine Mercy Sunday — the Second Sunday of Easter —
Pope Francis celebrated Solemn Mass for the Centenary of the Armenian
Martyrdom. During the Liturgy, the Holy Father also proclaimed the
great Armenian Saint Gregory of Narek a Doctor of the Church.

Pope Francis processed into St. Peter’s Basilica accompanied by the
Catholicoi Karekin II and Aram I of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
with the Patriarch Catholicos Nerses Bedros XIX a few paces ahead.
Patriarch Nerses concelebrated Mass with the Holy Father.

Greeting the Armenian faithful who had come to Rome for the event,
Pope Francis spoke out boldly against cruelty, recalling the occasions
when he had previously spoken of “a third world war” being fought
piecemeal, a war “in which we daily witness savage crimes, brutal
massacres and senseless destruction.” Today, he said, “we are
experiencing a sort of genocide created by a general and collective
indifference, by the complicit silence of Cain…”

Pope Francis noted three “massive and unprecedented tragedies” of the
twentieth century, the first of which was the “Great Crime,” the
systematic massacre of Armenian Christians who were slaughtered
because of their faith. The atrocities of the Nazis and the
Communists, along with other mass killings, makes it seem as if
“humanity is incapable of putting a halt to the shedding of innocent
blood… We have not yet learned,” he said, “that ‘war is madness,’ a
‘senseless slaughter.'”

It is necessary, and even a duty, he said, to recall these events,
notably the massacre of the Armenians, “with hearts filled with pain,
but at the same time with great hope in the risen Christ.”

In his homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis focused on the
wounds of Christ, the wounds our Lord showed His disciples so that
they might believe He was truly risen from the dead. “The wounds of
Jesus are wounds of mercy,” the Pope said. “Through these wounds we
can see the entire mystery of Christ and of God,” the whole history of
salvation. The wounds of Christ proclaim the mercy of God from
generation to generation.

Alluding once again to the centenary of the massacre of the Armenians,
Pope Francis said the tragic events of history can leave us feeling
crushed, wondering “why?” Humanity cannot fill the abyss left by the
mystery of evil. “It is only Jesus, God made man, who died on the
Cross and who fills the abyss of sin with the depth of His mercy.”

Pope Francis concluded, “Brothers and sisters, behold the way which
God has opened for us to finally go out from our slavery to sin and
death, and thus enter into the land of life and peace. Jesus,
crucified and risen, is the way, and His wounds are full of mercy.”

From: A. Papazian

Citizenship Judge Babikian Receives RoA Medal

Canadian Citizenship Judge Aris Babikian of Toronto was granted, on
April 3, the Gold Medal of the Ministry Of Diaspora of the Republic of
Armenia for outstanding service to Canadian civil society, to the
Canadian Armenian community, and for enhancing Canada Armenia
bilateral relations.

Addressing the Yerevan gathering, Minister of Diaspora Hranoush
Hagopian said: “We are proud to have in Canada a compatriot like you.
We understand that it is not easy to reach such high position in far
away lands. We are grateful that you have devoted your entire life and
energy to the Armenian people, preserving the Armenian identity and by
your professionalism and consummate work you are enhancing Armenia’s
image in the Diaspora.”

The RoA Ministry of Diaspora Gold Medal is granted to those providing
notable service for Armenia-Diaspora partnership, making contributions
to the strengthening of relations between Armenia and the Diaspora and
relations within Diaspora Armenian communities.

Judge Babikian thanked the Minister for her words and for considering
him worthy of the medal. Keghart.com reached Judge Babikian who said:
“This is a great honor to receive this award on the eve of the
Genocide centennial.” He dedicated the award to his grandfather, a
survivor of the Armenian Genocide and to all victims of Medz Yeghern.
He said: “This award means so much to me, specially since it comes
from the homeland which we have dreamed of for centuries. People who
help solidify Armenia-Diaspora ties in the Diaspora through
professional activities and strengthen the Armenian identity so far
from the homeland are greatly honored to receive this recognition.”

The award ceremony took place at the Ministry of Diaspora and in the
presence of senior officers and staff of the ministry. Prior to the
ceremony the minister had a private meeting with Judge Babikian,
senior policy makers, and liaison officer Khoren Mardoyan. They
discussed issues related to Armenia-Canada bilateral relations. The
Minister said she valued and praised Canada’s friendly and warm
relation to the Armenian people and Armenia. She wished to deepen
Canada Armenia bilateral relations in economy, education, tourism and
other spheres.

Minister Hagopian and Judge Babikian also discussed the welfare of
the Canadian Armenian community and how to encourage Armenian youth to
become more active in Canadian society.

From: A. Papazian

Deutsche Welle, Germany
April 12 2015

Pope describes Armenian killings as ‘genocide’ on 100th anniversary

On the 100th anniversary of the slaughter of Armenians, Pope Francis
has described the mass killing by the Ottoman Empire as “the first
genocide of the 20th century.” The move could strain diplomatic ties
with Turkey.

Pope Francis addressed the systematic killing, which took place a
century ago, during a mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on
Sunday. Also attending the mass, which included elements of the
Armenian Catholic rite, was Armenian patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX
Tarmouni and the country’s President Serzh Sargsyan.

“In the past century our human family has lived through three massive
and unprecedented tragedies. The first, which is widely considered
‘the first genocide of the 20th century’, struck your own Armenian
people,” the pontiff said, citing a 2000 statement signed by late
pontiff John Paul II and the Armenian patriarch.

In the joint statement 15 years ago, Pope John Paul II said “the
Armenian genocide, which began the century, was a prologue to horrors
that would follow.”

“We recall the centenary of that tragic event, that immense and
senseless slaughter whose cruelty your forebears had to endure,”
Francis said on Sunday.

“It is necessary, and indeed a duty, to honor their memory, for
whenever memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester,” he
added.

Strained relations

The pope’s use of the word “genocide” will likely test diplomatic
relations with Turkey, however, and could risk alienating an important
ally in the fight against radical Islam.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed between 1915
and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart. In Armenia, the
killings are known as “Metz Yeghern,” meaning “Great Evil.”

Turkey, however, has long has long denied that the deaths constituted
genocide, arguing that 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians and as many Turks
were killed in clashes during the First World War when Armenians rose
up against their Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian
troops.

‘Inhumane consequences’

In 2014, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered
unexpected condolences to Armenians for the imposed deportation of
their ancestors, which he described as having “inhumane consequences.”

At the same time, however, Erdogan made it clear that while modern
Turkey tolerated the genocide accusations, the country did not share
them.

The mass on Sunday was held ahead of the official commemoration of the
murders which will take place on April 24.

ksb/jr (AFP, AP)

From: A. Papazian

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

Pope recognizes Armenian ‘genocide’ likely straining relationship with Turkey

By ARIEL COHEN
04/12/2015 11:59

“Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding
without bandaging it!” Francis said.

In a statement likely to strain diplomatic ties with Turkey, Pope
Francis referred to the 20th century mass killings of Armenians as the
first genocide of the 20th century during a mass to commemorate the
100th anniversary of the killings.

“In the past century our human family has lived through three massive
and unprecedented tragedies,” Francis said during mass in Saint
Peter’s Basilica on Sunday morning. “The first, which is widely
considered ‘the first genocide of the 20th century’, struck your own
Armenian people,” he said.

Over 1.5 million Armenians perished under the Ottoman Empire during
World War I. Armenians have been fighting for years to receive
recognition that the event was indeed a genocide. Turkey has ardently
insisted that the event was not a genocide, and that the deaths of the
Christian Armenians were merely a part of the partisan fighting.

Francis referred to the tragedy as a “senseless slaughter,” stating
that it is important to keep the memory of the genocide alive.

“It is necessary, and indeed a duty, to honor their memory, for
whenever memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester,”
Francis said. “Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to
keep bleeding without bandaging it.”

The Pope also recalled other mass killings of the 20th century, such
as those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia. “It seems that
humanity is incapable of putting a halt to the shedding of innocent
blood,” he added.

Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church, His Beatitude Nerses Bedros
XIX, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, and His
Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian
Apostolic Church were all in attendance during the mass.

Turkey has yet to respond to the statement by Pope Francis, but it is
unlikely they will take kindly to the Vatican referring to the deaths
of the Christian Armenians as a “genocide.”

From: A. Papazian

Big News Network
April 12 2015

Turkey recalls Vatican envoy over Pope’s Armenia genocide comments

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey recalled its envoy to the Vatican Sunday after
Pope Francis described as a genocide the mass killing of Armenians
under Ottoman rule in WW1.

Turkey reacted with anger to the comments, which were made by the Pope
at a service in Rome earlier on Sunday.

Armenia and many historians say up to 1.5-million people were killed
by Ottoman forces in 1915, but Turkey is particularly sensitive about
the subject, insisting that the deaths were due to the WW1 fighting
and civil conflict.

Turkey also claims that the 1.5-million figure is too high and the
issue has continued to sour relations between Armenia and Turkey to
this day.

Pope Francis made the comments at a Mass in the Armenian Catholic rite
at Peter’s Basilica, a service that was attended by the Armenian
president and church leaders.

The Pope said that humanity had lived through “three massive and
unprecedented tragedies” in the last century and that the first
genocide of the 20th century was perpetrated against the Armenian
people.

“The first, which is widely considered ‘the first genocide of the 20th
Century’, struck your own Armenian people,” he said, addressing
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

His choice of words echoed a declaration by Pope John Paul II in 2001,
which distanced the Catholic Church from the Turkish government then
as well.

Pope Francis also decried the crimes “perpetrated by Nazism and
Stalinism” and said other genocides followed in Cambodia, Rwanda,
Burundi and Bosnia, describing the acknowledgement of these crimes as
a moral duty to honour the memories of those who were killed.

“Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding
without bandaging it,” the Pope said.

President Sargsyan welcomed his comments, and said they sent a
powerful message to the international community, but Turkey reacted
with immediate anger.

The foreign ministry said it felt “great disappointment and sadness”
at the Pope’s remarks, adding that they would cause a “problem of
trust” between the Vatican and Ankara.

Turkey also immediately summoned the Vatican’s ambassador to Ankara
for an explanation, and later recalled its ambassador from Rome.

“The Pope’s statement, which is far from the legal and historical
reality, cannot be accepted,” Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu tweeted.

“Religious authorities are not the places to incite resentment and
hatred with baseless allegations,” he added.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2014 offered
condolences for the first time to the grandchildren of all the
Armenians who lost their lives, but insisted they did not die due to a
“political conflict”.

Most non-Turkish historians who have studied the events regard them as
genocide and Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Russia and
Uruguay all formally regard the deaths as a genocide.

From: A. Papazian

CHANSON
Raffi Arzivian, après >, le chanteur arménien prépare son second CD

Raffi Arzivian est un chanteur arménien qui a beaucoup de succès en
France et à l’étranger. Né le 26 novembre 1978 à Alep (Syrie) installé
à Valence (Drôme-France) depuis une vingtaine d’années, Raffi Arzivian
est un chanteur qui dispose d’une voix extraordinaire et captive le
public par l’interprétation des chansons. Qu’elles soient des chansons
d’amour ou de vie, en passant par les chants patriotiques, Raffi
Arzivian saisit le public par la qualité de sa voix, de ses gestes et
de sa prestation. Un artiste qui met beaucoup de coeur et d’amour dans
lors de ses interprétations des chansons en langue arménienne, mais
également arabe. Raffi Arzivian se produit dans des bals ou soirées
concert à Valen ce, Lyon, Marseille notamment pour les fêtes du 28 Mai
(l’indépendance de la Première République d’Arménie) ou du Khanassor
(expédition punitive des Arméniens contre les tribus Kurdes). Il a
également donné des prestations outre la France à Genève et Zurich
(Suisse) ou Bielfeld (Allemagne).

En 2010 Raffi Arzivian a sorti son premier CD intitulé >
contenant 8 titres en arménien (Yetvoum em, Siroun Es, Siroum Em,
Havada, Gar Mi Jamanag, Badaskhan, Ashough Em, Aghatchoum Em Yar Kéz),
une compilation de chansons d’amour, pour la plupart très connues du
public arménien.

Raffi Arzivian chante également dans de nombreux autres styles et son
répertoire est riche de chansons de nombreux styles. Il prépare
d’ailleurs un second album. > (une chanson d’amour), le
single qu’il sortit il y a peu, sera présent dans son futur CD dont la
sortie est prévue en mai prochain. Raffi Arzivian a fait appel pour
cet album à Sarkis Kelkhatcherian (d’Alep) pour l’écriture des
paroles, et Hovig Adourian pour la musique et les arrangements.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 12 avril 2015,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

News Next
April 12 2015

Pope to mark 100th anniversary of Armenia WW1 killings

International Desk – Pope Francis is to mark the 100th anniversary of
the mass killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule in WW1 at a church
service in Rome, reports BBC.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will be attending the ceremony which
is being held to honour a 10th century Armenian mystic.

The mass deportation of Armenians in 1915 remains a highly sensitive issue.

Turkey denies Armenian claims that up to 1.5 million people were
killed and that it constituted an act of genocide.

The dispute has continued to sour relations between the two countries.

From: A. Papazian

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