Pope Francis has described the mass killing of Armenians under Ottoman Turkish rule in World War I as “genocide” during a visit to Yerevan.
The Friday remark is the second time the Pope has referred to the killings as genocide, following a similar statement in 2015.
The statement came despite reports that Francis would replace the word "genocide" with "martyrdom" when speaking about the deaths. Friday marks the start of the Pope's three-day visit to the Armenian capital. The pontiff is visiting the small nation in the heart of the Caucasus mountains, which was famous for becoming the first state to accept Christianity as its official religion.
The Pope addressed the audience in Armenia – a mostly Orthodox Christian nation with a population of 3 million in a largely Muslim region – with a wider political message on the atrocities committed towards the Christians of the Middle East by the extremists of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
The visit is Pope Francis’s first to Armenia, and the only other pontiff ever to visit the country was Pope John Paul II, in 2001, when he took part in the 1,700th anniversary of Christianity being proclaimed Armenia’s state religion.
Addressing the Armenian people, Pope Francis called his visit an “apostolic journey.” The logo of the visit depicts Mount Ararat – the sacred Biblical mountain – and the ancient Armenian monastery Khor Virap, chosen for its exceptional role in spreading Christianity in the past.
Upon arrival, Pope Francis was met by President Serzh Sargsyan and his Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, and also bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church and Catholic Church, diplomats and officials.
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INC News, 24/06/2016 - source: ©RTNews
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