Pope at Armenia genocide memorial: Never forget or minimize

GYUMRI, Armenia (AP) — Pope Francis demanded Saturday that the world never forget or minimize the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians as he paid his respects at the country's imposing genocide memorial after declaring the slaughter a planned "genocide" to annihilate an entire people.

Francis presented a wreath at the memorial and stood, head bowed, in silent prayer before an eternal flame as priests blessed him with incense and a choir sang haunting hymns.

The Vatican has long held the Armenian cause dear, holding up the poor nation of 3 million mostly Orthodox Christians as a bastion of faith and martyrdom in largely Muslim region and the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301.

Turkey rejects the term, saying the 1.5 million death figure cited by historians is inflated and that people died on both sides as the Ottoman Empire collapsed amid World War I.

"Sadly that tragedy, that genocide, was the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century, made possible by twisted racial, ideological or religious aims that darkened the minds of the tormentors even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples," Francis said.

President Serzh Sargsyan, Armenian political and religious leaders and the diplomatic corps in attendance gave him a standing ovation.