Pope Francis says he felt the souls of those murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau during his silent visit to the former Nazi death camp in Poland last week.
“The great silence of the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau was more eloquent than any word spoken could have been,” Francis says during his weekly public audience at the Vatican.
“In that silence I listened: I felt the presence of all the souls who passed through that place; I felt the compassion, the mercy of God, which a few holy souls were been able to bring even into that abyss,” he says.
Visiting Auschwitz, the pope says, made him pray to resolve the evils of today’s world.
“Looking upon that cruelty, in that concentration camp,” he says, “I thought immediately of the cruelties of today, which are similar — not as concentrated as in that place, but everywhere in the world, this world that is sick with cruelty, pain, war, hatred, sadness; and this is why I always ask you for the prayer, that the Lord give us peace.”
Pope Francis walks towards the main entrance with the words ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ (Work Sets You Free) at the former Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Oswiecim, Poland on July 29, 2016 (AFP PHOTO/FILIPPO MONTEFORTE)
— JTA
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
