A reference by Pope Francis to the
massacre 100 years ago of Armenians, calling it a "genocide",
provoked a furious reaction from Turkey as it recalled its envoy
to the Vatican and one official on Monday attacked the pontiff's
Argentine roots.
The controversy was stirred on Sunday when, during a Mass
in St. Peter's Basilica attended by the Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan and top church leaders, the pope referred to "the first
(tragedy of the 20th century), which is widely considered 'the
first genocide of the 20th century'".
Turkey denounced Francis's comments, made during a Mass to
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the massacre, as amounting
to slander.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu added that Ankara
was not ruling out further action after it recalled its envoy to
the Vatican.
"Genocide is a legal concept," read a statement by
Turkey's embassy to the Holy See.
"Claims not fulfilling the requirements of law, even if
they are attempted to be explained on the basis of widespread
conviction, are bound to remain as slanders".
The pope's statement and the phrase "first genocide of the
20th century" were actually borrowed from remarks written in
2001 by former Pope John Paul II in a joint declaration with the
Armenian church leader, Karenkin II.
Numerous governments, experts and scholars in the field
support Armenia's position, concluding a genocide occurred.
Armenia and many historians say up to 1.5 million Armenian
Christians were killed by Ottoman forces in 1915.
But Turkey disputes this figure and argues that the deaths
were part of a civil conflict.
Azerbaijan also denies the Armenian genocide.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni came to the pope's
defence on Monday, saying the strength of the tone used by
Turkey against the Vatican "doesn't seem justified to me,
bearing in mind that John Paul II said something similar 15
years ago".
Turkey, which also summoned the Holy See's ambassador of
in Ankara on Sunday for an explanation, alleged that history had
been exploited for political reasons.
"With a selective point of view, he ignored the tragedies
that befell on the Turkish and Muslim people who had lost their
lives in World War I," read the statement by Turkey's embassy to
the Holy See.
Turkey's Minister for European Affairs Volkan Bozkir went a
step farther, launching a personal attack against Pope Francis.
He suggested the pope's views were shaped by his Argentine
homeland, which Bozkir said "welcomed the Nazis" while adding
the Armenian diaspora there "is dominant in the world of
printing and business," giving it great influence.
The Grand Mufti Mehmet Gormez, the main Sunni Muslim
religious authority in Turkey, said that the pope's remarks were
"without foundation and inspired by...political lobbies and
public relations firms".
http://popefrancisnewsapp.com/
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
