Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Pope Francis looks on after greeting Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni during Mass marking 100th anniversary of Armenian genocide

In the run-up to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Pope Francis decried on April 9 humanity’s ability to systematically exterminate its own brothers and sisters. He asked that God’s mercy “help all of us, in the love for the truth and justice, to heal every wound and expedite concrete gestures of reconciliation and peace among nations that still are unable to come to a reasonable consensus on interpreting such sad events.” The pope’s remarks came during a meeting at the Vatican with a group of bishops from the Armenian Catholic Synod. April 24 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians—more than half the Armenian population at the time—died in a forced evacuation from their traditional territory in the Ottoman-Turkish Empire between 1915 and 1918. Turkey rejects the accusation of genocide, saying the deaths were due largely to disease and famine. Pope Francis noted “with sadness” how those who survived the forced expulsions 100 years ago fled to neighboring regions, which today are seeing their Christian presence put in danger once again.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Pope Leo XIV has appointed the French archbishop of Chambéry, Thibault Verny, as the new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. He succeeds Cardinal Seán O’Malley, 81, the emeritus archbishop of Boston.
Gerard O’ConnellJuly 05, 2025
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks with other members of the House July 3, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington after final passage of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill. (OSV News photo/Jonathan Ernst, Reuters)
“Deep cuts” to SNAP and Medicaid will “inflict real suffering on these families…. SNAP and Medicaid are not luxuries, they are lifelines for millions of children across our country.”
Kevin ClarkeJuly 03, 2025
It was one of the first times Leo has spoken unscripted at length in public, responding to questions posed to him by the children.
The Vatican has named the judges that will preside over the trial of disgraced Father Marko Rupnik.