教宗在亚美尼亚：谴责“种族灭绝性屠杀”、呼吁制止利用天主的名施暴者
不幸的是，沉重打击亚美尼亚人民的“大邪恶”、“种族灭绝性屠杀”掀开了“上个世纪令人痛心的灾难场景的名单，这是异常的种族、意识形态或者宗教动机造成的”。“所有宣信在天主内信仰的人把他们的力量团结起来，共同将利用宗教的人隔离起来是至关重要的。他们利用宗教推动战争、压迫和暴力迫害的计划，利用和操纵天主的圣名”
埃里温（亚洲新闻）—在亚美尼亚这个有着受迫害历史、在上个世纪初遭遇了第一场“种族灭绝性屠杀”的国家里，教宗再次揭露了今天“在一些地方基督徒只因为他们宣信的信仰遭到歧视、迫害，就像初期殉道时代，或者更加严重”。这是教宗在一个经历了种族灭绝性屠杀和大邪恶的国家里发表的措辞强烈的讲话，亚美尼亚人指一九一五年和一九一六年的这场造成一百五十万人丧生的大邪恶是土耳其人的迫害。
教宗继续指出，不幸的是，沉重打击亚美尼亚人民的“大邪恶”、“种族灭绝性屠杀”掀开了“上个世纪令人痛心的灾难场景的名单，这是异常的种族、意识形态或者宗教动机造成的”。在埃里温总统府向亚美尼亚政府官员、民间社会、文化和外交界人士发表的讲话中，教宗采用了土耳其人不喜欢的词汇“种族灭绝性屠杀”。在这之前，教宗与亚美尼亚总统谢尔日·萨尔基相（见照片）举行了私人会谈、相互交换了礼品。萨尔基相总统则在讲话中谈到了圣座和亚美尼亚建交二十五周年。
教宗在讲话中强调了基督信仰在亚美尼亚人民中的深刻根基，希望加强努力、“进一步探索有用的道路从而战争与一些邻国的紧张关系”。在亚美尼亚这样一个与邻国阿塞拜疆围绕纳戈尔诺-卡拉巴赫飞地存在严重领土纠纷的国家，这段话意义深远。
教宗还感谢总统邀请他访问亚美尼亚。二O一五年四月，萨尔基相总统和亚美尼亚宗教界人士一起访问了梵蒂冈，并向教宗发出了邀请。教宗表示，“就在那次机会上，我们纪念了大邪恶百年，它沉重打击了你们的民族、造成了大批人死亡”。不幸的是，沉重打击亚美尼亚人民的“大邪恶”、“种族灭绝性屠杀”掀开了“上个世纪令人痛心的灾难场景的名单，这是异常的种族、意识形态或者宗教动机造成的”。
教宗讲话全文如下：
“I pay homage to the Armenian people who, illuminated by the light of the Gospel, even at the most tragic moments of their history, have always found in the cross and resurrection of Christ the strength to rise again and take up their journey anew with dignity. This shows the depth of their Christian faith and its boundless treasures of consolation and hope. Having seen the pernicious effects to which hatred, prejudice and the untrammelled desire for dominion led in the last century, I express my lively hope that humanity will learn from those tragic experiences the need to act with responsibility and wisdom to avoid the danger of a return to such horrors. May all join in striving to ensure that whenever conflicts emerge between nations, dialogue, the enduring and authentic quest of peace, cooperation between states and the constant commitment of international organizations will always prevail, with the aim of creating a climate of trust favourable for the achievement of lasting agreements.
“The Catholic Church wishes to cooperate actively with all those who have at heart the future of civilization and respect for the rights of the human person, so that spiritual values will prevail in our world and those who befoul their meaning and beauty will be exposed as such. In this regard, it is vitally important that all those who declare their faith in God join forces to isolate those who use religion to promote war, oppression and violent persecution, exploiting and manipulating the holy name of God.
“Today Christians in particular, perhaps even more than at the time of the first martyrs, in some places experience discrimination and persecution for the mere fact of professing their faith.
“At the same time, all too many conflicts in various parts of the world remain unresolved, causing grief, destruction and forced migrations of entire peoples. It is essential that those responsible for the future of the nations undertake courageously and without delay initiatives aimed at ending these sufferings, making their primary goal the quest for peace, the defence and acceptance of victims of aggression and persecution, the promotion of justice and sustainable development. The Armenian people have experienced these situations first-hand; they have known suffering and pain; they have known persecution; they preserved not only the memory of past hurts, but also the spirit that has enabled them always to start over again. I encourage you not to fail to make your own precious contribution to the international community.
“This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Armenia’s independence. It is a joyful occasion, but also an opportunity, in cherishing the goals already achieved, to propose new ones for the future. The celebration of this happy anniversary will be all the more significant if it becomes for all Armenians, both at home and in the diaspora, a special moment for gathering and coordinating energies for the sake of promoting the country’s civil and social development of the country, one that is equitable and inclusive. This will involve constant concern for ensuring respect for the moral imperatives of equal justice for all and solidarity with the less fortunate (cf. JOHN PAUL II, Farewell Address from Armenia, 27 September 2001: Insegnamenti XXIX/2 [2001], 489). The history of your country runs parallel to its Christian identity preserved over the centuries. That identity, far from impeding a healthy secularity of the state, instead requires and nourishes it, favouring the full participation of all in the life of society, freedom of religion and respect for minorities. A spirit of unity between all Armenians and a growing commitment to find helpful means of overcoming tension with neighbouring countries, will facilitate the realization of these important goals, and inaugurate for Armenia an age of true rebirth.
“The Catholic Church is present in this country with limited human resources, yet readily offers her contribution to the development of society, particularly through her work with the poor and vulnerable in the areas of healthcare and education, but also in the specific area of charitable assistance. This is seen in the work carried out in the past twenty-five years by the Redemptoris Mater Hospital in Ashotsk, the educational institute in Yerevan, the initiatives of Caritas Armenia and the works managed by the various religious congregations.
“May God bless and protect Armenia, a land illumined by the faith, the courage of the martyrs and that hope which proves stronger than any suffering.”
