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BREAKING NEWS The Vatican announced a meeting of bishops worldwide to confront sexual abuse as Pope Francis faces accusations of a cover-up.

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By Jason Horowitz

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has summoned to Rome the presidents of the world’s bishops conferences for a meeting focused on protecting minors, the Vatican announced on Wednesday, as the pontiff wrestles with a global clerical sexual abuse crisis and explosive accusations of a cover-up that have shaken his papacy and the entire Roman Catholic Church.

The meetings will be held from Feb. 21 to 24, according to the Vatican, which added that the pope had “amply reflected” on the issue with his top council of cardinal advisers during three days of meetings that ended on Wednesday.

The announcement came on the eve of a meeting in the Vatican on Thursday between the pope and a group of American bishops, including Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, Francis’ leading adviser on the issue of sexual abuse. The Americans are coming in search of answers from the pope and a full investigation into why one of their most prominent colleagues was allowed to ascend to a top position in the American church, despite allegations that he had sexually abused seminarians.

Reports of abuse by that American prelate, Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington, led to his resignation as cardinal. But subsequent accusations, in a bombshell letter by the formal Vatican ambassador to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, accused Francis of lifting sanctions against the American that had been put in place by Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Francis and President Trump meet despite deep divide

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Trump and popeThe US president and the head of the Catholic Church have clashed on a number of key issues. But both men emerged smiling from their private audience, with the president saying he “wouldn’t forget” Pope Francis’ words.

Despite some rather public disagreements on issues ranging from economics to the environment to immigration, US President Donald Trump met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday. Although he has previously criticized some of Trump’s policies as “not Christian,” the pontiff said he would approach the meeting, squeezed into his schedule at the last minute, with an open mind.

“Thank you so much,” Trump could be heard saying before they went into their private audience. “It is such an honor to be here.”

Since Trump announced his presidential campaign, the two men have differed publicly on a number of topics. Pope Francis was a vocal critic of Trump’s plan to bar refugees from coming to the US and to build a wall on the border with Mexico. The pontiff called these policies “not Christian,” and said the job of leaders was to build bridges, not walls. The then-presidential candidate fired back that it was “disgraceful” for Francis to question his faith.

Pope Francis: May God bless Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan

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pope-god-blass“May God bless Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, and guide his holy people in those countries.”

Pope Francis ended his general audience with the aforementioned words on Wednesday, telling in detail about his trip to Caucasus, Radio Vaticana reports.

The Pope described the visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan as complementary to his visit to Armenia and thus by visiting all three Caucasus countries, he was able “to confirm the Catholic communities there and encourage all people in their journey towards peace and fraternity.”

According to him, although both Georgia and Azerbaijan have ancient historical, cultural and religious roots, they have only just celebrated twenty-five years of independence after the continuous Soviet period. “The Catholic Church is called to be close to them, especially through works of charity and promoting the good of the human person, in communion with the other Churches and Christian communities, and in dialogue with other religious communities,” the Pope stressed.

Pope Francis Urges World To Never Forget Armenian Genocide

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Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the popemobile after an open-air mass in Armenia's second-largest city of Gyumri on Saturday. Tiziana Fabi /AFP/Getty Images


Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the popemobile after an open-air mass in Armenia’s second-largest city of Gyumri on Saturday.
Tiziana Fabi /AFP/Getty Images

In a visit to Armenia, Pope Francis has urged the world to never forget the Ottoman-era slaughter of some 1.5 million Armenians which he termed a genocide – a characterization likely to cause tensions with Turkey.

The Pope called it “genocide” publicly for the first time last year – which sparked a furious reaction from Turkey. As Weekend Edition Saturday reported, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan told him not to do it again and recalled its ambassador from the Vatican for 10 months.

NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli, reporting from Armenia, explained that the Pope ad-libbed the politically-charged term into prepared remarks at the presidential palace Friday evening:

“At a Vatican briefing, the spokesman – Father Federico Lombardi – used the Armenian term … which means ‘the great evil.’ And he bristled when asked why he didn’t say genocide. So when the prepared text of the pope’s speech last night used only the Armenian term, most of us thought that was a possible diplomatic overture towards Turkey.

“But in his actual delivery, the pope added the word genocide. He said: That genocide, made possible by the twisted racial, ideological, or religious aims that darken the minds of the tormentors, even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples.”

The pope’s comments drew a standing ovation from Armenia’s president, she added. Francis has long been a vocal supporter of the Armenian cause, which dates back to his close relationship with the Armenian diaspora community in his native Argentina, as Sylvia has reported.

Lombardi said the Vatican “wasn’t aiming to renew conflict with Turkey by repeating the term, stressing that the pope has always called for reconciliation,” according to The Associated Press.

Turkey did not immediately respond to the characterization. Even though “historians widely agree that 1.5 million Armenians were killed,” Sylvia explained, the country “vehemently rejects the accusation of genocide, claiming the number of dead was smaller and that they were victims of civil strife.”

On Saturday, Francis visited the Armenian genocide memorial in Yerevan. Sylvia said Francis prayed and then wrote this in the memorial guest book:

“Here I pray with pain in my heart, so that never again will there be tragedies like this. …May God protect the memory of the Armenian people. Memory should never be watered down or forgotten. Memory is the source of peace and the future.”

Armenians, who are primarily Orthodox with a Catholic minority, responded positively to the pope’s visit. They seemed “genuinely honored to welcome the pope,” as the AP reported.

“We have the memory of the genocide in our genes,” 45-year-old Alexander Rubenyan told the wire service. “It used to be a gene of sadness, but with every visit of people like the pope the Armenian gene is becoming more alive and full of optimism.”

Pope Francis himself had decided to use the “genocide” word that was not on the original text

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arton128291-480x233The word “genocide” uttered by Pope Francis in his speech at the presidential palace in Yerevan, was not listed in the original text that the Pontiff was to deliver. At a press conference, the press officer of the Vatican, Federico Lombardi said that only the pope can at will change the discourse and the services of the Vatican can not determine in advance. Thus Pope Francis is allowed to use the term “genocide” in his speech yesterday. A gesture that cut short all the rumors and various predictions on the pope.

To the question of journalists interviewing Frederico Lombardi on the possible reactions of Turkey face these words of the Pope, the director of the Holy See Press Office said “the Pope always speaks of peace and dialogue, he has always favored and continue to do so. If you remember the past, it should do so by preventing new wars, understand what to remember that these wars can not happen again. “On the first day of the Pope’s visit to Armenia, Frederico Lombardi told that “the pope is very healthy and is happy to be in Armenia.” F. Lombardi believes that the meeting in St. Echmiadzin between officials of the two churches and the town and friendly prayer is “a strong encounter.” He also confided that Pope Francis was “surprised” by the Catholicos Karekin II of the gift that offered the Pope Francis portrait made on a surface of a millimeter “need a microscope to see it.”

Krikor Amirzayan

Why Pope Francis’ visit matters to Armenians

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Pope_Francis_prepares_to_greet_Queen_Elizabeth_II_at_the_Vatican_April_3_2014_Credit_Daniel_Ibanez_CNA_CNA_4_3_14By Mary Rezac and Elise Harris

Vatican City, May 13, 2016 / 04:45 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ visit to Armenia this summer comes at a poignant time in the country’s history.

The Holy Father’s June 24-26 visit comes just after the close of the 100-year anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and during the Year of Mercy, a significance not lost on the Armenian people, said Mikayel Minasyan, Armenian Ambassador to the Holy See.

The Armenian people have learned to be strong because of their history, Minasyan said, referring to the genocide that occurred at the hands of the Ottoman empire during and after World War I and which left as many as 1.5 million Armenians dead.

“It’s strong to remember their own history, it’s strong to understand their own history, it’s strong to accept their own history,” he said of his people.

The centenary anniversary has been a time to recognize the healing and progress that has been made, he added.

“(T)he Armenians made the whole world see what it is to overcome an injustice. They gave the possibility to the world to understand what a genocide is, what the denial of a genocide is. Let’s not forget that the term ‘genocide’ was created above all based on the study of the Armenian genocide.”

The ambassador also said the year has been a time to recognize everyone who has supported the Armenians and raised awareness of the genocide, including Pope Francis, who has recognized the genocide as religiously motivated.

During Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday on April 12, 2015, Pope Francis referred to the mass killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks starting in 1915, as a genocide, a term used in a common declaration signed by both Saint John Paul II and Supreme Armenian Patriarch Karekin II in 2001. That day, Francis offered the Mass for faithful of the Armenian rite in commemoration of the centenary of the “Metz Yeghern,” or Armenian “martyrdom,” which is historically held to have started April 24, 1915.

“We are also very grateful, very grateful to the people from the smallest to the greatest, from Pope Francis, who did something historic celebrating Mass for the Armenian martyrs April 12…calling things as they are, creating another term, ‘ecumenism of blood.’ An ecumenism founded on blood, because the Armenians were exterminated also because they were Christians.”

“Certainly Pope Francis made one of the most fundamental steps in celebrating this Mass in St. Peter’s inviting the hierarchy of the Apostolic Armenian Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, and proclaiming St. Gregory of Narek as a doctor of the Universal Church,” he added.

The Pope has kept strong ties with the Armenian community since his time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. A large portion of Armenians immigrated to Argentina following the deportations and killings of World War I, and today the country has one of the largest populations of Armenians in the world.

The Pope’s visit this summer includes a stop at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, which was built in memorial of those who perished in the genocide, as well as time for ecumenical meetings with leaders of all faiths, and prayers for peace, according to the schedule released by the Vatican.

The Armenian people are “full of joy” that Pope Francis is coming, the ambassador said, and are looking forward to his visit, since he has been so supportive of the Armenian people.

“…the Armenian people are waiting with a great excitement to manifest their own remembrance. Pope Francis is going to Armenia to fulfill this visit in full respect and love for the Armenian people and for their history. And also the recognition of what the Armenian Republic represents now in that region,” he said.

“We await him, everyone is waiting for him. Certainly it will be a very significant moment, also because it’s a very busy trip. The fact that His Holiness goes to Armenia in the Year of Mercy is also another fact that we appreciate a lot.”

The Holy Father’s recognition and remembrance of the Armenian genocide is especially meaningful amid ongoing denials of the event or denial of responsibility for the event on the part of some Turkish politicians and other political leaders, Minasyan noted.

“We are not closing this year, turning a page. We are opening another book and this new book is titled ‘The fight against denialism,’ and it is yet to be seen.”

While most people no longer deny the Armenian genocide, “the politicians do,” Minasyan said. “In private they say yes, but in public, for political reasons, they deny it. Political denial is the most hideous denial that there is.”

It is also important for people to remember the Armenian genocide because of what it has meant for the Middle East, Minasyan said.

“Now we see that in the past 100 years the quantity, speaking in percentages, of Christians is drastically diminishing. In the past five years it has been something truly dramatic. I don’t want to put it into a box, but all of it started with the Armenian genocide.”

VATICAN Pope Francis expected in Armenia in late June

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arton123420-480x340Vatican City, (AFP) -The Pope Francis should go for the first time in Armenia, a country with ancient Christian traditions, in the second half of June, said Friday the Press Office of the Holy See.

“A pope’s visit to Armenia is under consideration, probably during the second half of June,” he told reporters spokesman for the Holy See, Father Federico Lombardi. He was reacting to the announcement of a site close to the Vatican, “he sismógrafo”, in which Jorge Bergoglio will visit Armenia from 22 to 26 June The dates are not yet finalized, has insisted the spokesman, explaining that the head of papal trips, the Colombian Bishop Mauricio Rueda Beltz, still had to get there before the pope approves the final program.

April 12, 2015, in the most solemn part of the St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope had used the term “genocide” to refer to the massacre of Armenians a century ago during the Ottoman Empire. This had led to a deterioration of diplomatic relations with Turkey, where the Argentine pontiff had yet visited late November 2014.

Fifteen years after the visit by John Paul II in 2001 in Armenia, Francis will visit again a country of the periphery of Europe where Catholics are a minority, after Albania and Bosnia. An autocephalous Orthodox Church has a large majority in this country was the first to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301.