Paven mintes Holocaust-ofre

"Må ofrenes navn aldri gå tapt"

Mandag ettermiddag besøkte Pave Benedikt XVI Yad Vashem, minnestedet for Holocausts ofre.

Tilstede var blant annet president Shimon Peres og seks overlevende fra Holocaust. Paven la ned hvite og gule blomster på minnestedet. I sin tale mintes Benedikt XVI ofrene for grusomhetene:

"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."

"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."

Paven forsikret om hele Kirkens medfølelse med de ofre som minnes på Yad Vashem, og poengterte at disse også kaster lys over de som i dag forfølges på bakgrunn av rase og religion:

"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."

- Jerusalem Post har video fra minnestunden.

- Hele Pavens tale finnes på Zenit sine nettsider.

KI - Katolsk Informasjonstjeneste (Oslo) (11. mai 2009)