Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday lashed out at Pope Francis for "inappropriate" and "one-sided" comments after he used the word "genocide" to describe the massacres of Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War I.

"To read these sorrows in a one-sided way is inappropriate for the pope and the authority that he holds," Davutoglu said in televised comments as a diplomatic row escalated between Turkey and the Vatican.