Pope: "May the names of the victims of the Holocaust never perish!"
(Vatican Radio) On January 27th each year, the United Nations sets aside a day in
special remembrance of Holocaust victims.
Following his Angelus prayer this
Sunday, Pope Benedict prayed: "Today is the " International Holocaust Remembrance
Day" in memory of the Holocaust victims of Nazism. The memory of this immense tragedy,
which above all struck so harshly the Jewish people, must represent for everyone a
constant warning so that the horrors of the past are not repeated, all forms of hatred
and racism overcome and respect and dignity of the human person promoted"
The
International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust also
commemorates when the Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration and death camp
Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland on January 27, 1945.
It is hoped that through
remembering these events, people will remember the Holocaust and prevent genocide.
Across
the globe Holocaust survivors and world leaders speak out in remembrance of victims,
but also to make sure that the world never forgets what happened in Europe in the
1930s and 1940s. So that new generations may learn about the tragedy, and for everyone
to work so it will never happen again.
It is also a good time to remember the
words of Pope Benedict XVI when he visited the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem on
May 11th, 2009.
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.
Yad Vashem is the Jewish people’s living memorial to the Holocaust.
It was erected to safeguard the memory of the past and impart its meaning for future
generations. Established in 1953, as the world center for documentation, research,
education and commemoration of the Holocaust. Together with its partners, Yad Vashem
has collected and recorded the names and biographical details of two thirds of the
six million Jews murdered by the Nazis. Two million more still remain unidentified.
As the Pope quoted at the beginning of his visit to Yad Vashem, a passage
from the Book of the prophet Isaiah furnishes two simple words which solemnly express
the significance of the place itself: “vad” – which means memorial, and “shem” which
means name…
“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” .
One
can weave an insidious web of lies to convince others that certain groups are undeserving
of respect – the Pope said - yet, try as one might, one can never take away the name
of a fellow human being.
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!
And Pope Benedict said that the Catholic Church feels deep
compassion for the victims remembered here. Similarly, he continued - she draws close
to all those who today are subjected to persecution on account of race, colour, condition
of life or religion – their sufferings are hers, and hers is their hope for justice.
And he reaffirmed that he is committed to pray and work tirelessly to ensure that
hatred will never reign in the hearts of men again.
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!
Their cry – the
Pope said - still echoes in our hearts.
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.