Catholic Culture
June 7 2013
Turkey angered by Pope’s statement on Armenian genocide
Turkey’s foreign ministry has lodged a formal protest with the Vatican
after Pope Francis referred to the mass murder of Armenians as `the
first genocide of the 20th century.’
The Pope alluded briefly to the Armenian genocide during a June 3
meeting with Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni of
Cilicia. Several years earlier, while serving as Archbishop of Buenos
Aires, then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio described the killing and forced
deportation of millions of Armenians as `the gravest crime of Ottoman
Turkey against the Armenian people and all of humanity.’
An estimated 1 to 1.5 million Armenians died between 1915 and 1918 in
massacres, in concentration camps, and on forced marches. But the
government of Turkey has steadfastly denied that a genocidal campaign
took place. The Turkish government `expressed disappointment’ over the
Pope’s remarks, conveying its displeasure to Vatican diplomatic
representatives both in Ankara and in Rome.
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Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2013/06/08/turkey-angered-by-popes-statement-on-armenian-genocide/