The Pope Engages with Turkey

Almost every news agency carried the Pope's remarks from over the weekend when he said the Ottoman Empire used 'genocide' to eradicate the Armenians.  Turkey took offense to the extent that they withdrew their ambassador to the Holy Sea.  You would almost think the genocide took place last month, but it was longer ago than that.

I went to History.com http://www.history.com/topics/armenian-genocide, to see what happened to cause this to be such an issue today.  Since the early 4th century, Armenia was one of the first countries to declare its official religion to be Christian.  Even though they were surrounded by Muslim countries, they did pretty well and as a part of a larger takeover in the region, became part of the Ottoman Empire, also Muslim, and a caliphate.  You recognize that term from current history because ISIS claims that same title and kills Christians when it is convenient for them.  The Pope has said he doesn't like Muslims (or anybody else for that matter) killing Christians because they are Christians.  The Christians and Muslims got along pretty well until the success of the Armenians and the fact that they were Christians made Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid II, fearful that they might be more loyal to Russia than to Turkey if war came to the region again.  He decided to "box them on the ear" to get their attention and started a campaign to wipe out whole villages.  He was ultimately overthrown by another group of Turks and everyone thought it might be better after that.  

During WW I, the Turks sided with Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire declaring jihad against all Christians who were not on their side.  If that sounds familiar, it should.  Jihad is a word that many Muslims use as a description of a religious war against people they describe as their enemies.  It can even be against other Muslims, if need be.  They set up killing squads and threw people off cliffs, burned them alive, and shot some.  This sounds like genocide to quite a few people.  

So, the Pope tells what the History Channel sees as "the truth" of this matter, and Turkey brings home their ambassador.  ISIS sits not all that far away from this action, right across the Syrian border with Turkey.  Turkey does not allow anyone in their own country to say what Turkey did to the Armenians was genocide.  It is hard to imagine how to characterize the death of a million and a half people unless you just say they were casualities of war, but they have laws prohibiting thier people from describing it that way.  They are not content to leave it there.

What the Turks have succeeded in doing is getting most of the other countries of the world to also not use the term genocide.  They did pretty well with that since 1914, but find it harder to do when people have access to things like the History Channel.  I don't like other countries telling me how I should think about events in the world.  I am sure the Armenians would have a different view of things that we don't have.  Nobody tells the truth anymore, so somewhere between what Turkey wants us to believe and what the Armenians believe, lies something the Pope is allowed to say.  Killing people because they are of a particular religion is not something we want others to do.