Pope: Slaughter of Armenians is Genocide

In a strongly worded sermon on Sunday, Pope Francis challenged the international community , declaring that the slaughter of Armenians in Turkey 100 years ago was “the first genocide of the 20th century.” "Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it," he said. Francis, who had ties to the Armenian community in Argentina, claimed he was required by duty to honor the people “senselessly” murdered. Most historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around World War I. As a result of the pope's speech, Turkey has recalled its ambassador to the Vatican.