Pope Francis on Sunday described the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks 100 years ago as "genocide," sparking a diplomatic incident with Turkey, which denies genocide took place.
Speaking before a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica to mark the centenary of the killings, Francis defined the slaughter of as many as 1.5 million Armenians as "the first genocide of the 20th century," quoting a statement made by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
"The remaining two were perpetrated by Nazism and Stalinism," he said. "And more recently there have been other mass killings, like those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia."
Francis said it was "necessary, and indeed a duty" to remember the Armenians killed, "for whenever memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester. Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it!"
Though he is not the first pope to use "genocide" to describe the Armenian massacre, and he previously used the word in 2013 to describe the killings, his speech on Sunday carried extra weight because it was delivered on the anniversary of the slaughter, in St. Peter's and in the presence of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Armenian church leaders, who attended the service.
In response, Turkey summoned the Vatican's ambassador to the country to complain about Francis' remarks, saying it had expressed "great disappointment and sadness" and accused the pope of being discriminatory because he cited only Christian Armenians, and not Muslims.
Turkey also recalled its ambassador to the Vatican over the incident, according to the Associated Press.
Turkey claims that just half a million Armenians died in fighting when they rose up against their Ottoman rulers after World War I, and denies that their deaths constitute an act of genocide.
That position conflicts with the views of most historians of the period, who agree that Armenians were victims of genocide. A number of countries have issued statements over the years condemning Turkey's actions as genocide. Although President Obama, before his election, referred several times to the deaths as genocide, he has not done so as president, maintaining his predecessors' reluctance to alienate Turkey, a highly valued ally in the Middle East.
Turkey said Francis' comments "contradicted his message of peace, reconciliation and dialogue" made during his visit to Turkey in November.
"The pope's statement, which is far from the legal and historical reality, cannot be accepted," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote in a tweet on Sunday.
"Religious authorities are not the places to incite resentment and hatred with baseless allegations," he added.
Francis now risks losing Turkey's support as he seeks to defend Christian communities being persecuted by Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Many Christians have sought refuge in Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country, as they have fled the Islamist militants.
Describing those communities on Sunday, Francis portrayed the "muffled and forgotten cry of so many of our defenseless brothers and sisters who, on account of their faith in Christ or their ethnic origin, are publicly and ruthlessly put to death -- decapitated, crucified, burned alive -- or forced to leave their homeland."
In a speech made at St Peter's before the mass, Karekin II, the patriarch of the Armenian Church, used the word "genocide" 13 times.
"With a deliberate plan, with horrific atrocities, one and a half million Armenians were slaughtered," he said. "Our ancient people were uprooted from their cherished cradle of life -- their historic homeland -- and scattered over different countries. Our centuries-old Christian legacy heritage was ruined, obliterated, and seized."
Kington is a special correspondent
Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times9:12 a.m.: This article has been updated throughout with staff reporting and background.
5:36 a.m.: This article has been updated with Turkey's reaction.
1:29 a.m.: This article has been updated with additional quotes and background.
This article was originally published at 12:51 a.m.
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