This past Sunday, Pope Francis spoke of the Armenian genocide of 1915-1916. His use of the g-word drew the ire of Turkey, which officially denies that genocide took place and thus withdrew its ambassador to the Vatican in protest. Pope Francis showed bravery in speaking up in this way. So did the pope at the time of the killings, Benedict XV. The fascinating story is told here in an interview with German historian Dr. Michael Hesemann that just appeared in Aleteia.
In a new book entitled, The Armenian Genocide [Völkermord an den Armeniern], Hesemann reveals for the first time the content of never-before-published documents on “the greatest crime of World War I,” and how Pope Benedict XV and Vatican diplomacy tried to stop the deportations of the Armenians into the Syrian desert, save the victims and prevent the massacre of an entire people.
In this interview, Hesemann shares his findings, which include evidence of Masonic involvement, and expresses both his admiration for Pope Francis for drawing attention to the genocide of Christians and ethnic minorities, and his disappointment over the absence of the German Ambassador to the Holy See at Sunday’s commemorative Mass.