Pope recalls Holocaust, prays for victims of recent terror attacks

Source: Vatican Media

Pope Francis recalled the victims of the Holocaust on Sunday. In a Twitter message he said: "Let us not forget the victims of the Holocaust. Their unspeakable suffering continues to cry out to humanity: We are all brothers and sisters! #RemembranceDay.

Later after the Angelus prayers with young people at World Youth Day in Panama, Pope Francis recalled that it was Holocaust Memorial Day and said: "We need to keep alive the memory of the past and learn from the black pages of history so that we never make the same mistakes again." He issued an appeal to "continue to work tirelessly to cultivate justice, increase harmony and sustain integration, to be instruments of peace and builders of a better world."

Pope Francis also spoke about other issues that are currently in the news. Expressing his "firmest reproach" for a terrorist attack perpetrated on the Cathedral of Jolo in the Philippines while the Eucharist was being celebrated, Pope Francis prayed that the Lord: "convert the hearts of the violent and grant the inhabitants of that region a peaceful coexistence". He said he entrusted the 20 victims of the attack to Christ and to the Virgin, and he noted that it brings "new mourning to this Christian community."

The Holy Father offered prayers and solidarity for the victims of the Brazilian dam collapse in which at least 40 people are confirmed dead and some 250 are missing, and for the 114 people killed in a pipeline explosion in Mexico. "I commend to God's mercy all the victims and, at the same time, I pray for the wounded and express my affection and my spiritual closeness to their families and to the whole population," he said.

Turning his thoughts to the Venezuelan crisis, the Pope said: "Here in Panama, I have thought a lot about the Venezuelan people to whom I feel particularly united in these days. In the face of the serious ongoing situation, I ask you to pray that a just and peaceful solution may be reached, with respect for human rights and seeking only the good of all the inhabitants of the country," he said.

Then the Pope prayed for the 21 young police cadets killed by a car bombing in Bogotà, Colombia. He read aloud the names of each of the cadets who were killed on 17 January, saying they had been murdered by the hatred of terrorists.

The National Liberation Army (ELN) claimed responsibility for the car bombing, saying that the attack against a military installation was a legitimate response to the armed forces' bombing of a guerrilla camp during a recent unilateral ceasefire.