Cengiz Çandar
Less than two weeks before the centennial of the Armenian
genocide, the leader of the world's billion Catholics made remarks that
shocked the Turkish government and gave a dramatic boost to those who
believe genocide was committed in 1915.
Pope Francis offered the comments during his April 12 sermon at St. Peter’s Basilica, attended
by Armenian dignitaries including Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and
Catholicos Karekin II, the highest religious authority of the Armenian
Apostolic Church. “The first,
which is widely considered the first genocide of the 20th century,
struck your own Armenian people. Bishops and priests, religious women
and men, the elderly and even defenseless children and infirm were
murdered,” he said.
