Pope Francis will hold a mass for the Armenian Genocide centennial in the Basilica of St. Peter, Vatican, on April 12, 2015, as announced by the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires Mario Poli during a mass in the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Narek on Sunday, Aug 17, according to Prensa Armenia.

“The Pope replied to the invitation from the Armenian Catholic Church a year ago through the Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX to hold a mass for the recognition of the Genocide,” the pastor of Narek, Pablo Hakimian said.

During the meeting with the patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church, Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmourini in June last year, the Pope also received an heir of the Armenian Genocide survivor, telling her: “It was the first genocide of the twentieth century.” The gesture draw criticism from Turkey, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement considering that “the expressions of Pope Francis are absolutely unacceptable.”

Prensa Armenia: Pope Francis will celebrate Mass for the Armenian Genocide Centennial on 2015