Papst Benedikt XVI. hat an diesem Montag die Holocaust-Gedenkstätte Yad Vashem besucht.
Wir dokumentieren hier seine Ansprache im englischen Original:
“I will
give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name … I will give them an everlasting
name which shall not be cut off” (Is 56:5). This passage from the Book
of the prophet Isaiah furnishes the two simple words which solemnly express the profound
significance of this revered place: yad – “memorial”; shem – “name”.
I have come to stand in silence before this monument, erected to honor the memory
of the millions of Jews killed in the horrific tragedy of the Shoah. They
lost their lives, but they will never lose their names: these are indelibly etched
in the hearts of their loved ones, their surviving fellow prisoners, and all those
determined never to allow such an atrocity to disgrace mankind again. Most of all,
their names are forever fixed in the memory of Almighty God. One can rob a neighbor
of possessions, opportunity or freedom. One can weave an insidious web of lies to
convince others that certain groups are undeserving of respect. Yet, try as one might,
one can never take away the name of a fellow human being. Sacred Scripture
teaches us the importance of names in conferring upon someone a unique mission or
a special gift. God called Abram “Abraham” because he was to become the “father of
many nations” (Gen 17:5). Jacob was called “Israel” because he had “contended
with God and man and prevailed” (Gen 32:29). The names enshrined in this hallowed
monument will forever hold a sacred place among the countless descendants of Abraham.
Like his, their faith was tested. Like Jacob, they were immersed in the struggle
to discern the designs of the Almighty. May the names of these victims never perish!
May their suffering never be denied, belittled or forgotten! And may all people of
goodwill remain vigilant in rooting out from the heart of man anything that could
lead to tragedies such as this! The Catholic Church, committed to the teachings
of Jesus and intent on imitating his love for all people, feels deep compassion for
the victims remembered here. Similarly, she draws close to all those who today are
subjected to persecution on account of race, color, condition of life or religion
– their sufferings are hers, and hers is their hope for justice. As Bishop of Rome
and Successor of the Apostle Peter, I reaffirm – like my predecessors – that the Church
is committed to praying and working tirelessly to ensure that hatred will never reign
in the hearts of men again. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God of peace
(cf. Ps 85:9). The Scriptures teach that it is our task to remind the world
that this God lives, even though we sometimes find it difficult to grasp his mysterious
and inscrutable ways. He has revealed himself and continues to work in human history.
He alone governs the world with righteousness and judges all peoples with fairness
(cf. Ps 9:9). Gazing upon the faces reflected in the pool that lies in stillness
within this memorial, one cannot help but recall how each of them bears a name. I
can only imagine the joyful expectation of their parents as they anxiously awaited
the birth of their children. What name shall we give this child? What is to become
of him or her? Who could have imagined that they would be condemned to such a deplorable
fate! As we stand here in silence, their cry still echoes in our hearts. It is
a cry raised against every act of injustice and violence. It is a perpetual reproach
against the spilling of innocent blood. It is the cry of Abel rising from the earth
to the Almighty. Professing our steadfast trust in God, we give voice to that cry
using words from the Book of Lamentations which are full of significance for both
Jews and Christians: “The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies
are not spent; They are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness. My
portion is the Lord, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Good is
the Lord to the one who waits for him, to the soul that seeks him; It is
good to hope in silence for the saving help of the Lord” (Lam 3:22-26). My
dear friends, I am deeply grateful to God and to you for the opportunity to stand
here in silence: a silence to remember, a silence to pray, a silence to hope.