Pope commemorates Nazi's Kristallnacht attack on Jewish "big brothers"

November 11, 2013 - Pope Francis on Sunday described the Jewish people as "elder brothers" of Christians, in words of solidarity marking the 75th anniversary of the attack of Kristallnacht, or "Night of BrokenGlass," on Jews and their property in Nazi Germany. Pope Francis said the state-sponsored ransacking of Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues, on the night of Nov. 9, 1938, in which scores of Jewish people were killed, marked a step towards the Holocaust and should not be forgotten. "We renew our closeness and solidarity to the Jewish people, our elder brothers, and pray to God that the memory of the past and of the sins of the past helps us to be always vigilant against every form of hate and intolerance," Francis told thousands during his midday ‘Angelus’ prayer in St. Peter's Square. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church has pledged good relations with Jews and his March election was welcomed by the world's Jewish associations. Francis co-authored a book on inter-faith dialogue with Argentine Rabbi Abraham Skorka while he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires. (Source: Reuter)