Erdo?an warns Pope Francis not to repeat 'mistake' about Armenian claims

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has condemned Pope Francis, warning him to not repeat the ?mistake? of describing the mass killings of Ottoman Armenians as ?genocide.?

?Whenever politicians, religious functionaries assume the duties of historians, then delirium comes out, not fact. Hereby, I want to repeat our call to establish a joint commission of historians and stress we are ready to open our archives. I want to warn the pope to not repeat this mistake and condemn him,? Erdo?an said at a meeting of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (T?M) on April 14.

Erdo?an said he greatly regretted the pontiff?s weekend remarks in which the leader of the world?s Catholics referred to the killings of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 as ?the first genocide of the 20th century.?

?In the past century our human family has lived through three massive and unprecedented tragedies,? the pope said. ?The first, which is widely considered ?the first genocide of the 20th century,? struck your own Armenian people,? he said in the presence of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

Recalling the pope?s visit to Turkey in 2014, the president said he thought the pope was ?a different politician.? ?I don?t say a religious functionary,? he added.

?His remarks display the appearance of a mentality different to that of a religious functionary,? Erdo?an said. ?I won?t let historical events be brought out of their own course and turned into a campaign against our country and nation.?

The pope made the pronouncement during a Mass in St. Peter?s Basilica commemorating the centenary that was attended by Armenian church leaders and Sargsyan. Francis said it was his duty to honor the memory of the innocent men, women and children who were ?senselessly? murdered...