Pope Francis Says Armenian World War I Killing Was Genocide

Pope Francis said the killing of Armenians under Ottoman rule during World War I was “genocide,” drawing a rebuke from Turkey, which has always rejected the charge.

The massacres were “the first genocide of the 20th century,” Francis said Sunday at a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica honoring the 100th anniversary of the deaths. “Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it.”