His Holiness Catholicos Aram I’s Speech in Vatican – video
His Holiness Catholicos Aram I’s Speech in Vatican – Video
“International law spells out clearly that condemnation, recognition and reparation of a genocide are closely interconnected”
Catholicos Aram I
Click to watch Video (Speech in English at 3:30)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkntoavtQRQ
(VATICAN CITY) — Pope Francis sparked a diplomatic incident with Turkey on Sunday by calling the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks “the first genocide of the 20th century” and urging the international community to recognize it as such.
“Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it,” he said at the start of a Mass in the Armenian Catholic rite in St. Peter’s Basilica honoring the centenary.
In a subsequent message directed to all Armenians, Francis called on all heads of state and international organizations to recognize the truth of what transpired and oppose such crimes “without ceding to ambiguity or compromise.”
Pope Francis’ words had immediate effect in St. Peters, bolstering the head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia , Aram I, to thank Francis for his clear condemnation and recall that “genocide” is a crime against humanity that requires reparation.
“International law spells out clearly that condemnation, recognition and reparation of a genocide are closely interconnected,” Aram said in English at the end of the Mass to applause from the pews.
Speaking as if he were at a political rally, Aram said the Armenian cause is a cause of justice, and that justice is a gift of God. “Therefore, the violation of justice is a sin against God,” he said.