ROMA.- Pope Francis on Wednesday mentioned the imminent Holocaust Remembrance Daywhich remembers the extermination of millions of Jews, to reaffirm that war can never be justified and only benefits weapons manufacturers.
At the end of his weekly general audience, Francis spoke about next Saturday’s commemoration, which this year is fraught with tension due to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and a rise in anti-Semitism in Europe and around the world.
“The memory and condemnation of that horrendous extermination of millions of Jews and people of other faiths that occurred in the first half of the last century helps us not to forget that the logic of hatred and violence can never be justified because they deny our humanity.” said the pontiff.
The Jewish community in Italy has denounced a rise in anti-Semitic sentiment, including what its leaders consider the incorrect use of terms such as “genocide” following the October 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel and the Israeli military response in Gaza. .
On Tuesday, Jewish community leader Naomi Di Segni announced that marathons in Italy traditionally held on Holocaust Remembrance Day have been canceled this year for security reasons.
He also spoke of Catholic leaders, whom he did not identify, who have “minimized the recognition of what happened on October 7 as a terrorist act compared to Israel’s right to defend itself.” Some Jewish leaders have complained about Francis’s initial statements, in which he did not mention Hamas by name and said in general terms that “we have gone beyond war… this is terrorism.”
Francis later spoke of the suffering in Israel and Gaza and specifically condemned the October 7 attack.
The pope said this year’s commemoration takes place amid not only the war in Gaza but also in “tormented Ukraine.” He asked for prayers for the victims and for political leaders to “embrace life, ending wars.”
“Let us not forget: war is always a defeat, always,” he said. “The only ‘winner’ is the weapons manufacturer.”
Source: With information from AP
