A book on the diplomatic mission of Vatican to the Ottoman Empire during the WWI has come out in Italy, La Stampa reports. The authors of the book “The Holy See and the extermination of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire” are Valentina Varduhi Karakhanian and Omar Viganò.

The book focuses on the activity of monsignor Angelo Maria Dolci, a papal nuncio in Constantinople. The difficulty of his position was that most of the exterminations of Christians took place in the western regions of Turkey, hundreds of kilometers away from the capital. But when Dolci began to realize what was happening, he exerted every effort for holding talks not only with the Ottoman authorities but also with their Austrian and German allies. His letters and documents show the efforts exerted by him towards saving both Armenians and other Christians despite his limited powers and financial means.

Pope Benedict XV also protected the persecuted Christian. In fact, he turned directly to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed V thrice.

To the dissatisfaction of the Ottoman officials, Dolci also addressed his letters directly to the sultan in order to avoid possible censorship.

The efforts of Vatican can be seen more apparently in the context of its solitude, since the western superpowers then cared more for their strategic interests than the fate of their   brothers in faith, the book review reads.

The book has come out “in loving memory of blessed Nerses Bedros XIX, patriarch of Catholic Armenians, who passed away in 2015.”