The Vatican on Sunday hit back against Turkey's description of Pope Francis as having a "Crusader mentality" after acknowledging the Armenian Genocide in a speech during a visit to Yerevan, Reuters reported.
"The pope is on no crusade. He is not trying to organize wars or build walls but he wants to build bridges," Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said. "He has not said a word against the Turkish people."
In a speech to Armenia's president, government, and diplomats on Friday, Pope Francis veered from his prepared remarks, which had conspicuously left out the word "genocide" when describing the massacres against Armenians that began in 1915.
"Sadly that tragedy, that genocide, was the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century, made possible by twisted racial, ideological or religious aims that darkened the minds of the tormentors even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples," Francis said.
Last year Francis infuriated the Turkish government when he said the massacres were "considered the first genocide of the 20th century" during a speech on the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the killings.
Turkey vehemently denies that a genocide against the Armenian people took place, and it has led to diplomatic rows when countries decide to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Armenia says up to 1.5 million of its people were killed by Ottoman-era Turks beginning in 1915, while Turkey places the death toll much lower, saying an equal number of Turks were also killed.
