Seven years ago, the newly-elected Pope Francis urged Turkey to unconditionally recognize the Armenian Genocide.
During events marking the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Buenos Aires, then Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio urged Turkey to recognize the Genocide as the “gravest crime of Ottoman Turkey against the Armenian people and the entire humanity.”
On Wednesday, after what is viewed as a short conclave, white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel heralded that a gathering of Catholic cardinals picked a new pope, choosing the first pontiff from the Americas to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
The 76-year-old pope will be called Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and the first member of the Jesuit order to lead the church and the first none-European pope in more than 1,200 years.
“I would like to thank you for your embrace,” the new pope, dressed in white, said from the white balcony on St. Peter’s Basilica as thousands cheered joyously below. “My brother cardinals have chosen one who is from far away, but here I am,” reported the New York Times.
“Pray for me, and we’ll see each other soon,” the pope told the crowd of more than 100,000 gathered at St. Peter’s Square.
That was before he new he would be Pope one day!
Exactly! So did Obama, before he was president and a multitude of others… once they are in their posts. they sing another tune or dance to Turkey’s tune!
You are right, once they come to power they forget their commitments, like Obama
Correct idea, incorrect application. I believe the Vatican and the Popes have always been clear on their position of recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
let’s ask him again in April. He might have a better memory than Obama.
LOL, well said Hrant
MAYBE WE CAN GET A STATEMENT FROM NORTH AMERICAN CARDINALS. DAH…LET GET THE ANCA IN GEAR ON THIS POSSIBILITY..
It is a good sign. Anyway, this is a thorny qiestion, to respectfully denounce, disagree and tr
y to bring some light. May God help us all.
Hopefully, he won’t pull an Obama and forget his friends now that he’s in charge.
so did Obama, and Biden and Hillary and Pelosi and Kerry.
Never trust these people.
Miyayn zenkov gah Hayotz Pergoutyou.
Turkey will never recognize the genocide until they become human.
God Bless the new Pope and I hope that he’ll assist the Armenian nation in getting the recognition of the Armenian Genocide from the genocidal and criminal turkish regime.
How right you are, Hrant.
The headline is miss leading. Lets see if he will utter it in the future. Your news paper is Dear to me. Wish you all the best.
We will be really impressed if he did same NOW… As a Pope, no?
“gravest crime of Ottoman Turkey against the Armenian people and the entire humanity.”
Pope Francis of 2013 said 7 years ago…
I hope he will not become like Obama and change his style…No one knows…Every human can change with his position…even he is a Pope…let us see…
Also “godless crime on innocent people”…Even Muslim world does not accept…
They killed 30,000 Yemenis in 19th century and Yemenis killed 10 times more (300,000) of Ottoman soldiers…They call Yemen “the grave of the invaders” by Arabic…!
Who cares… Obama said the same before becoming president. We’re on our own, forget it. Stop latching onto everyone’s empty words.
Let’s hope that he will do so again. He is in a powerful position now ,with over a billion followers. What he says and does will carry a lot of weight.
(If one may borrow the phraseology of Dr. Martin Luther King) “The Truth at last! The truth at last! Thank God Almighty, the truth at last — and we can scarcely await the day when this new Pope comes to America and proclaims this publicly. Sec. of State John Kerry, former Secretaries of State Hilary Clinton, Condoleeza Rice (especially!), and all former Secretaries of State, living and dead: hear, hear! Had you ever bothered to read and acknowledge the testimony of your august predecessor Henry Morgenthau that is now locked up in our own archives, you ought well know that this is not a matter to be relegated to the rewriting or negotiations of ‘historians’; but rather, long established fact. At last, the truth will out, and the well-documented organized campaign of murder against the Armenians wasn’t even the half of it!
The era of impossibilities—The oppressor is accepted,the oppressed denied.You can see the downslide of modern mankind is coming to fruitition. turkey,the murderer of millions Armenians,Greeks,Kurds,Bulgars,is considering e.u. designation,a fradulent assumption,and the rest of the world is blinking,sad but true.So they all belong in the same garbage pit.
Please don’t compare the Pope with the vile politicians of the west. The Vatican has always known our history and never denied it. I say, God bless the new Pope and give him the strength to better this world.
I think it would be proper and prudent to give the new Pontiff a chance.
He might be a man of his word,unlike the lying Obama, Clinton’s, Biden, and the rest of the lying bunch of politicians which seems to be the hallmark of the West.
And why do you people live in the US? I am sure that the new pope will do the right and say the truth! you people are so negative and pesimist!
As He Is Represent MISSION OF JUSTICE BY HEAVENLY FATHER!!!
The former cardinal and Pope Francis I is a man of spiritual concerns. He is no bargain basement Obama-Clinton style politician. In 2006 he called for the recognition of the Genocide , not out of any cheap political or mercenary gain ,but from simple honesty,sincere , frank expression of piety , compassion and realism. The former Cardinal is very well acquainted with the Armenians. One of his followers in his congregation , a late armenian, was on personal terms. Hrant always used to tell and retell the story that after mass he would offer the cardinal a lift back home, the cardinal would courteously decline and insist in travelling by public bus . There is an important Armenian community in Bs.As., he has, or had, many, many armenians in his congregation; so he knows about armenians and armenia more than any of his contemporaries. Don’t compare Francis I with duplicituous, lying politicians . In any case enough of blaming lying, cheating public officials of endorsing the Armenian genocide when they are on their way up and in need of massive support and once they get elected into their offices, they renege on their promisses. It is our fault, entirely , that we fall for these latter day bootleggers in the political realm.
Your reactions are most welcome. But I have not seen or heard a Religious leader lie yet. Why should we NOT trust a Man of God? Are all priests liars? I do NOT think so. Give the man a little time before you make your decisions to attack Him or distrust Him. My grate Grandfather and Grand father were men of God but the Ottoman found a way to burn Badveli Hagop Koundakjian alive with 28 of His church members. Allah is truthful. Best of luck to us all to anyway.
Your reactions are most welcome. But I have not seen or heard a Religious leader lie yet. Why should we NOT trust a Man of God? Are all priests liars? I do NOT think so. Give the man a little time before you make your decisions to attack Him or distrust Him. My Great Grandfather and Grand father were men of God but the Ottoman found a way to burn Badveli Hagop Koundakjian alive with 28 of His church members. Allah is truthful. Best of luck to us all to anyway.
Right. It’s only Obama and the democrats who deny the Geonicde. Remember Bush’s little “promise” cards” and the denial of every president and secretary of state – Powell, Allbright, Kissinger – on both sides of the aisle, except Reagan’s 1981 blurb, “”Like the genocide of the Armenians before it…” which was a tiny part of a speech on the Holocaust – NOT a proclamation. and nothing came of it.
During the 1915 Genocide, to his credit, the pope at the time, ironically named Benedict, did speak out against it.
THE NEW POPE FRANCIS 1 IS DREAMING TOO MUCH WHEN HE IS URGING TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE. IT IS LIKE ECPECTING MUHAMMED ( MUSLIM’ S PROPHET ) TO CONVERT CHRISTIANITY AND TO PRAY FOR JESUS.
I don’t think that he will change his words, by being a trustworthy man, even after many years, but the time will tell, and truth will come up to bring the justice.
How about if he first recognize Karabakh?!
This was one of the worst early genocides caught in the 20th century. Bravo to the Pope for trying to get Turkey to recognize it. It is one of the most dreadful, awful, cruel, inhumane events that has been for the most part never recognized by anyone. I doubt if you asked anyone about it on the street of any major city, no one would have heard of it…..at least NYC, American Cities, Possibly London as well. It was just as an major historical event in the 20th century as the holocaust, yet for the most part….completely forgotten.
You have heard more about the Mai Lai Massacre in Vietnam, which is like a trip to disneyland in comparison to the Armenian Genocide…….and guess what everyone, I AM NOT ARMENIAN, just a major 20th century historical buff.
BRAVO PONTIFF….LETS HOPE WE HAVE ANOTHER JOHN PAUL…..BRAVO
as no one has ever been informed yet ?
as long as we are Taparakan we will never be strong ! we`ve got the upportunity of getting a peice of land and creat what our ansesters left for us in Armenia. Mothers ,Fathers teach your child that he does have a home and History will be rewriten with you !
let all those lands of Artzakh and shosh and …. feel with our future and more !
we need people that are not afraid to say that turkey committed genocide against the Armenian people, i believe the Vatican and the Pope are in that group. I am sure that the Pope can never deny the Armenian genocide, because he knows the truth..
I believe in Pope Francis’ sincerity. He does not think or take into consideration political issues like others!