Turkey summons Vatican ambassador over Pope's remarks on Armenia issue

Turkey has summoned the Vatican's ambassador in Ankara over the Pope Francis's comments on the mass deportation of Armenians in 1915 during a solemn mass in Vatican April 12.

Pope Francis referred the killings of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 as "the first genocide of the 20th century," citing a statement signed by John Paul II and the Armenian patriarch in 2001.

"In the past century our human family has lived through three massive and unprecedented tragedies," he said. "The first, which is widely considered 'the first genocide of the 20th century,' struck your own Armenian people."

Turkey expressed deep sorrow and disappointment to the envoy over the Pope's remarks, according to official sources.

Those sources also stressed that the Pope's statement on the Armenian issue "contradict" the messages he delivered during his visit to Turkey at the end of 2014, which was based on peace and friendship.

Turkey will give an "adequate response" to the Vatican after further consultations, they stated.

While Francis did not use his own words to describe the murders as genocide, John Paul II's use of the term provoked a sharp reaction from Turkey at the time.

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

"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.
 
Armenia says up to 1.5 million Ottoman Armenians were killed in a genocide starting in 1915. Turkey denies that the deaths amounted to genocide, saying the death toll of Armenians killed during mass deportations has been inflated and that those killed in 1915...