Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday slammed as "baseless" and "far from the historical reality" Pope Francis' use of the word "genocide" to describe the massacres of Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War I.

"The pope's statement, which is far from the legal and historical reality, cannot be accepted," Cavusoglu said in a statement on Twitter.

"Religious authorities are not the places to incite resentment and hatred with baseless allegations," he added.