ROME թ§Չ-Չ Pope Francis on Saturday said that the world should never forget the suffering of the more than one million Armenians who were massacred a century ago during the final years of the Ottoman Empire, lest it թ§Չ-ժfall back into the maelstrom of similar horrors.թ§Չ-Թ
But the pope counseled the thousands of people gathered to hear him in Armeniaթ§Չ-Չ§s capital, Yerevan, to use the healing power of love to transform old wounds into թ§Չ-ժa wellspring of forgiveness and peace,թ§Չ-Թ and to seek reconciliation with neighboring Turkey.
Francis spoke during a prayer service with the leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church at the end of the second day of a trip during which he called attention to the slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1923. On Friday, the pope departed from a prepared text and referred to the massacre as a genocide, a term that Turkey rejects. Historians have called it the first genocide of the 20th century.
On Saturday, Turkeyթ§Չ-Չ§s response to the popeթ§Չ-Չ§s use of the word was relatively restrained, with Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli calling the remarks թ§Չ-ժvery unfortunate,թ§Չ-Թ according to The Associated Press.
The last time Francis used the term in reference to the mass deaths of Armenians, in Rome in April 2015, Turkey reacted angrily, recalling its ambassador to the Vatican and not returning the envoy for 10 months.
The horror of the genocide still resonates deeply throughout Armenia. After visiting the national memorial commemorating the genocide in Yerevan on Saturday morning, the pope signed the guest book, writing, թ§Չ-ժMemory should never be watered-down or forgottenթ§Չ-Թ and թ§Չ-ժmemory is the source of peace and the future.թ§Չ-Թ
He reiterated that notion later at a prayer meeting that the Vatican said drew about 50,000 people to Yerevanթ§Չ-Չ§s Republic Square, telling them, թ§Չ-ժMemory, infused with love, becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths, where designs of hatred become projects of reconciliation.թ§Չ-Թ
In a video message he sent to the Armenian people ahead of the trip, the pope made clear that he was visiting as թ§Չ-ժmessenger of peace.թ§Չ-Թ His aim, he said, was to թ§Չ-ժsupport efforts on the way to peace,թ§Չ-Թ referring not only to the longstanding strife with Turkey, but also to Armeniaթ§Չ-Չ§s dispute with Azerbaijan over the province of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Those tensions crept into Saturdayթ§Չ-Չ§s prayer meeting when Catholicos Karekin II, the supreme patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church and spiritual leader of about 93 percent of Armeniaթ§Չ-Չ§s population of three million people, accused Azerbaijan of bombing Armenian villages in April and violating a tenuous cease-fire.
The pope prayed that God թ§Չ-ժgrant that the people of Armenia and Turkey take up again the path of reconciliation, and may peace also spring forth in Nagorno-Karabakh.թ§Չ-Թ
He urged Armeniaթ§Չ-Չ§s young people to become peacemakers, թ§Չ-ժnot content with the status quo, but actively engaged in building the culture of encounter and reconciliation.թ§Չ-Թ
At the memorial, the pope laid a wreath of yellow and white flowers, the colors of the Vatican, and spent a long moment in prayer.
In the guest book, he also wrote, թ§Չ-ժHere I pray, with sorrow in my heart, so that tragedies like this never happen again, so that humanity may never forget and is able to overcome evil with good.թ§Չ-Թ
nytimes.com
Be the first to comment