BEIRUT -- Turkey must apologize for the Armenian genocide, Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai told reporters Tuesday from the Beirut airport before traveling to Yervan for a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the mass killings. "The ceremony which will be held [on April 24] in Armenia serves to sanctify the martyrs [of the genocide]," Rai said. "We pray for all the martyrs who were killed, whether they were Armenians, Assyrians or Syriac who were present in this large disaster." When asked whether those responsible for the massacre should apologize to the Armenian people, the patriarch replied by saying that an apology has been the constant demand of the Armenian, Assyrian and Syriac people. "And this is what should happen and what should always be called for." On April 28, Rai will leave Armenia for France where he is expected to meet with French President Francois Hollande. He is scheduled to deliver a speech on the role of the Christians in the Levant in France's UNESCO headquarters.