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The Local. Italy
April 11 2015
Pope on tightrope with Armenian mass
Pope Francis will mark the 100th anniversary of the mass killings of
Armenians with a special ceremony on Sunday. But he risks ruffling
feathers regarding his use, or non-use, of the word "genocide".
The 78-year old is walking a diplomatic tightrope, pressured to use
the term publicly to describe the Ottoman Turk murders, but wary of
alienating a potentially key ally in the fight against radical Islam.
While many historians describe the cull as the 20th century's first
genocide, the accusation is hotly denied by Turkey.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed between 1915
and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart, and have long sought
to win international recognition of the massacres as genocide.
But Turkey rejects the claims, arguing that 300,000 to 500,000
Armenians and as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians rose
up against their Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian
troops.
Francis and Armenian patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni will
celebrate a mass in Saint Peter's Basilica, which will include
elements of the Armenian Catholic rite and be attended by the
country's president Serzh Sargsyan.
The Vatican is holding the mass in time for those in attendance to
return home for the official April 24 commemoration.
Using the word would not be a papal first: John Paul II used it in a
joint statement signed with the Armenian patriarch in 2000, which said
"the Armenian genocide, which began the century, was a prologue to
horrors that would follow".
But it would be the first time the killings have been described as
such during a mass in Saint Peter's Basilica.
'Annihilation of their brothers'
Before becoming pope, Jorge Bergoglio used the word several times in
events marking the mass murders, calling on Turkey to recognise the
killings as such, according to religious news agency I.Media.
As pope Francis is said to only have used it in at one private
audience in 2013 -- but even that sparked an outraged reaction from
Turkey.
During a meeting with a visiting Armenian delegation this week the
pontiff deplored those "who were capable of systematically planning
the annihilation of their brothers" -- but stopped short of using the
word genocide.
He called for "concrete gestures of peace and reconciliation between
two nations that are still unable to come to a reasonable consensus on
this sad event," saying both sides should be driven by the "love of
truth and justice".
In 2014, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then premier, offered
condolences for the mass killings for the first time, but the country
still blames unrest and famine for many of the deaths.
Over 20 nations, including Italy, France and Russia, recognise the
killings as genocide.
Religious observers say Francis, who stressed the importance of
remembering "the martyrdom and persecution" of the Armenians, may make
parallels in his homily to the rise in the persecution of Christians
around the world.
Those murdered a century ago were mainly Christian and although the
killings were not driven by religious motives, the pontiff has already
drawn comparisons with modern Christians refugees fleeing Islamic
militants.
http://www.thelocal.it/20150411/pope-on-diplomatic-tightrope-with-armenian-mass
April 11 2015
Pope on tightrope with Armenian mass
Pope Francis will mark the 100th anniversary of the mass killings of
Armenians with a special ceremony on Sunday. But he risks ruffling
feathers regarding his use, or non-use, of the word "genocide".
The 78-year old is walking a diplomatic tightrope, pressured to use
the term publicly to describe the Ottoman Turk murders, but wary of
alienating a potentially key ally in the fight against radical Islam.
While many historians describe the cull as the 20th century's first
genocide, the accusation is hotly denied by Turkey.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed between 1915
and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart, and have long sought
to win international recognition of the massacres as genocide.
But Turkey rejects the claims, arguing that 300,000 to 500,000
Armenians and as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians rose
up against their Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian
troops.
Francis and Armenian patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni will
celebrate a mass in Saint Peter's Basilica, which will include
elements of the Armenian Catholic rite and be attended by the
country's president Serzh Sargsyan.
The Vatican is holding the mass in time for those in attendance to
return home for the official April 24 commemoration.
Using the word would not be a papal first: John Paul II used it in a
joint statement signed with the Armenian patriarch in 2000, which said
"the Armenian genocide, which began the century, was a prologue to
horrors that would follow".
But it would be the first time the killings have been described as
such during a mass in Saint Peter's Basilica.
'Annihilation of their brothers'
Before becoming pope, Jorge Bergoglio used the word several times in
events marking the mass murders, calling on Turkey to recognise the
killings as such, according to religious news agency I.Media.
As pope Francis is said to only have used it in at one private
audience in 2013 -- but even that sparked an outraged reaction from
Turkey.
During a meeting with a visiting Armenian delegation this week the
pontiff deplored those "who were capable of systematically planning
the annihilation of their brothers" -- but stopped short of using the
word genocide.
He called for "concrete gestures of peace and reconciliation between
two nations that are still unable to come to a reasonable consensus on
this sad event," saying both sides should be driven by the "love of
truth and justice".
In 2014, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then premier, offered
condolences for the mass killings for the first time, but the country
still blames unrest and famine for many of the deaths.
Over 20 nations, including Italy, France and Russia, recognise the
killings as genocide.
Religious observers say Francis, who stressed the importance of
remembering "the martyrdom and persecution" of the Armenians, may make
parallels in his homily to the rise in the persecution of Christians
around the world.
Those murdered a century ago were mainly Christian and although the
killings were not driven by religious motives, the pontiff has already
drawn comparisons with modern Christians refugees fleeing Islamic
militants.
http://www.thelocal.it/20150411/pope-on-diplomatic-tightrope-with-armenian-mass