蜜桃交友

By Pope

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre is a global human rights organization that, according to its mission statement, researches 鈥渢he Holocaust and hate in a historic and contemporary context鈥�.

Respecting human dignity

The Pope welcomed a delegation from the Centre to the Vatican on Monday and noted how it actively 鈥渟eeks to combat all forms of antisemitism, racism and hatred towards minorities鈥�.

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre has maintained contacts with the Holy See for decades, said the Pope, 鈥渋n a shared desire to make the world a better place in respect for human dignity.  This dignity is due to every person in equal measure, regardless of his or her ethnic origin, religion or social status鈥�, he added. The Pope said: 鈥淚t is essential to teach tolerance, mutual understanding and freedom of religion, and the promotion of peace within society鈥�.

Remembering the Holocaust

27 January will mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Pope Francis recalled visiting the camp in 2016, 鈥渢o reflect and to pray in silence鈥�. 鈥淚n our world, with its whirlwind of activity, we find it hard to pause, to look within and to listen in silence to the plea of suffering humanity鈥�, he said.

The Pope reflected on how our consumerist society squanders words: 鈥渉ow many unhelpful words are spoken, how much time is wasted in arguing, accusing, shouting insults, without a real concern for what we say. Silence, on the other hand, helps to keep memory alive. If we lose our memory, we destroy our future鈥�, he added.

鈥淢ay the anniversary of the unspeakable cruelty that humanity learned of seventy-five years ago serve as a summons to pause, to be still and to remember鈥�, said Pope Francis. 鈥淲e need to do this, lest we become indifferent鈥�.

Condemning antisemitism

Expressing his firm condemnation of antisemitism in every form, the Pope described 鈥渁n increase in selfishness and indifference鈥� in many parts of the world. 鈥淭his creates a fertile ground for the forms of factionalism and populism we see around us, where hatred quickly springs up鈥�, he said.

We need to address the cause of the problem by committing ourselves to 鈥渢illing the soil in which hatred grows and sowing peace instead鈥�, said Pope Francis. 鈥淔or it is through integration and seeking to understand others that we more effectively protect ourselves鈥�.

This means reintegrating those who are marginalized, reaching out to those far away, and assisting those who are victims of intolerance and discrimination, said the Pope.

Sowing seeds of peace

Pope Francis concluded with a prayer to 鈥渕ake the earth a better place by sowing seeds of peace鈥�. We need to put the 鈥渞ich spiritual patrimony that Jews and Christians possess鈥� at the service of others, he said. 鈥淣ot to take the path of distance and exclusion, but that of proximity and inclusion; not to force solutions, but to initiate ways of drawing closer together鈥�.

鈥淚f we do not do this鈥�, asked Pope Francis, 鈥渢hen who will?鈥�