The offensive began when Pope Francis drew Turkey‘s wrath after describing the killings as „the first genocide of the 20th century“.

Turkey summoned the Vatican‘s ambassador in Ankara over the remarks and recalled the Turkish envoy to the Vatican. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded with anger to the Pope’s remarks, warning him not to repeat such a “mistake” again.

At the same time, President Barack Obama stopped short of using the word genocide when he addressed the issue, to the relief of Turkey, while Russian President Vladimir Putin angered Ankara by referring to “genocide” during commemorations of the mass killings.