By Rev. Fr. Ghazar (Lazarus) Bedrossian
Special to the Mirror-Spectator
I remember it as if it were yesterday. On April 9, 2015, three days before the Holy Mass commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we were in Rome, in the quiet solemnity of the patriarchal office of His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, Catholicos Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church. We were three priests, humbled and awed, standing in a moment that was clearly part of history’s mysterious unfolding.
It was in those sacred halls that the official draft of the Holy Father Pope Francis’ speech arrived. It had been sent to the Patriarch so that we could prepare its Armenian translation. As we read through the lines, my eyes paused, wide with recognition — he had used the word: Genocide. I turned to His Beatitude and said, “The Holy Father is using the term Genocide.” He looked back at me with surprise in his eyes, perhaps not yet fully grasping the magnitude of what had been written. We were all, in that moment, standing at the edge of something profound.
Then came Sunday, April 12 — the Sunday of Divine Mercy.
I had the privilege of assisting our Patriarch during the Holy Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. As we took our places and were seated, the basilica was filled with reverent silence. Before the liturgy began, Pope Francis stood and addressed the world. And then, in his clear and unwavering voice, he said the unforgettable words: “It was the first Genocide of the 20th century.”
In that instant, we turned to one another. Our faces lit up — not in celebration, but in the quiet joy and relief that comes only when Divine Justice pierces through decades of silence. A century of denial, distortion, and political hesitation was met head-on by the voice of the Vicar of Christ. We smiled, not for ourselves, but for the souls of our martyrs. We smiled because the truth had finally been spoken by the Head of the Universal Church, the Roman Pontiff, standing boldly in the footsteps of his Nazarene Master: “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
Here is the greatness of Pope Francis.
The Apostle of Truth.
The Father of the Marginalized.
The Titan of Justice and Peace.
With his unmatched kindness and spiritual courage, he reminded the world — and the Armenian people — of the sacred obligation to speak the truth, no matter how difficult, no matter how long delayed. In the eyes of many, he became the hero we had waited for: not with weapons or speeches of war, but with a prayer, with a word, with the unmistakable weight of conscience.
He didn’t speak as a politician. He spoke as a father.
He didn’t calculate diplomacy. He offered clarity.
He didn’t fear consequence. He chose compassion.
In doing so, Pope Francis forever linked the Holy See to the Armenian people’s truth and pain. And for this, we will remember him. We will remember the Mass, the moment, the silence broken by the one voice that echoed across nations: the voice that said what needed to be said.
Yes, it was the first genocide of the 20th century.
And yes, the world heard it — because the Holy Father had the courage to speak it.
For us, this was not simply a commemoration. It was a vindication of history, a balm for inherited wounds, and a profound witness to the power of faith aligned with truth.
To Pope Francis, I say with the love of a son and the faith of a priest: You will forever be remembered as the shepherd who defended truth with mercy, and who stood with the Armenian people not only in memory but in mission.
The source of the pope’s speech on April 12, 2015 is https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150412_omelia-fedeli-rito-armeno.html
(Rev. Fr. Ghazar (Lazarus) Bedrossian is pastor of the Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church, Belmont, MA.)
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