Controversy Over Pope’s ‘Genocide’ Comments
Published at(VATICAN) — Pope Francis’ Sunday mass on the second Sunday of Easter sparked controversy when he referred to the slaughter of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks “the first genocide of the 20th century.”
The pope touched on the “three massive and unprecedented tragedies” of the human family in the past century — Nazism, Stalinism, and the slaughter of Armenians. He also mentioned the more recent tragedies calling events in Cambodi, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia “mass killings.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter Sunday that the pope’s statement was “out of touch with both historical facts and legal basis,” calling it “unacceptable.”
The Pope’s statement, which is out of touch with both historical facts and legal basis, is simply unacceptable. +++
— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) April 12, 2015
Religious offices are not places through which hatred and animosity are fueled by unfounded allegations.
— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) April 12, 2015
“Religious offices are not places through which hatred and animosity are fueled by unfounded allegations,” he said.
Turkey plans to recall its ambassador to the Vatican over the comments.
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