May 11, 2009 / 10:46 am
In a touching ceremony at the Holocaust Memorial this afternoon, Pope Benedict took another step in his efforts to reach out to the Jews by remembering those who died in the Shoah. The Holy Father also reiterated that the Catholic Church is committed to "praying and working tirelessly to ensure that hatred will never reign in the hearts of men again."
"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," with this verse from Isaiah Pope Benedict began his commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust.
"They lost their lives," he said, "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."
Noting the Scriptural significance of being given a name, the Pope said, "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."