Italian media coverage of unveiling of Armenian cross-stone at San Gregorio Armeno church in Naples

La Repubblica reports about the unveiling of an Armenian khachkar (cross-stone) at the San Gregorio Armeno church in Naples.

The newspaper notes that the initiative is part of the events marking the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Installing the 2.7-meter-high cross-stone required efforts of experts several hours.

The Retroonline.it website posted an article about one of the greatest and bloodiest tragedies in the 20th century, reporting historical data on the Armenian Genocide.

Presenting the political situation surrounding the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in recent years, the website reports that the issue of the Armenian Genocide has caused diplomatic tension between the Vatican and Ankara, especially in 2012, when Polish scholar Marko Jačov used the Vatican-released files for his paper “The question of the Orient from the aspect of the Armenian tragedy” (La Questione d’oriente vista attraverso la tragedia armena (1894-1897), [Edizione Accademia Polacca delle Scienze e della Lettere], Cracovia 2011).

In an article entitled “100 Years after Big Massacres: Genocide of Armenians”, Notizieitalianews.com writes that the remembrance of great victims is annually held on April 24 as a day historically symbolizing the start of the persecutions which led to the killing of 1.5 million Armenians.

Elaborating on the 1915 events, the website refers to Elif Shafak’s novel, "The Bastard of Istanbul", which covers the family story of Asiya and Armanush Chakhmakhchayn (who lived in Arizona) in an attempt to uncover the understandings of the past in different societies.

The author of the article warns against reducing Christianity’s history to a narrow circle, adding that the Genocide centenary is a concern for not only the Armenian church but also all the Christian churches worldwide. The author notes that the centenary coincides with a period when the international community powerlessly follows the persecutions and annihilations of Christians in the Middle East.

The Pope’s words were quoted also by the Italian website Korazym.org. The author of the news story in the publication says that a century after the big tragedy, the descendents of the Genocide perpetrators continue denying the crime. Describing the massive killings of the Armenians by the Ottoman Turks 100 years ago, the website further refers to the Armenian parliament’s recent bill condemning the massacre of Assyrians (1915) and Greeks in the Ottoman Empire.