From July 1890, Saint Charles de Foucauld resided in the Trappist monastery in Akbes (then Syria, now Turkey). Here he witnessed the beginnings of the Armenian genocide, which peaked between 1915 and 1918, during which the Turks murdered approximately 1.5 million Armenians. Charles then suffered greatly from the feeling that his nationality was protecting him. In 1896, he wrote to his cousin:
“Throughout Armenia and very close to us, terrible massacres were occurring; however, we were not in real danger – our European status means that the Turkish government takes great care to ensure that nothing happens to us (…), but for the Armenians, it was horrific… It is said that 100,000 were murdered…”
“At the end of March, we in Akbes and all the Christians within a two-day journey were supposed to die; however, I was not worthy of that… It is a thousand times just…, but alas! How it pains me…! Pray for my conversion, so that next time I may not be spared…”
(Charles de Foucauld /1858–1916/, letters to his cousin, February and June 1896;
the introductory paragraph is based on a book by the Little Sister of Jesus, Karel Foucauld, Spiritual Biography)
