ROME, MAY 29, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Jewish representatives called Benedict XVI's visit to Auschwitz a warning to humanity to help ensure that such a horror will not be repeated.
Giuseppe Laras, president of Italy's rabbis, stated on Vatican Radio that "this visit is a warning to humanity and a word of hope and consolation for all those who suffered."
"I have read in Benedict XVI's words the suffering for what occurred, for the responsibilities of Nazism, and in a certain part, also of the German people," said Laras.
At the site of the concentration camp on Sunday, the Pope asked why God kept silent during the Holocaust.
The president of Italy's rabbis commented on the Holy Father's words, explaining that "before asking about God's silence, it is necessary to ask why man was silent; that is, where was man in Auschwitz?"
"In the end, man is a creature that bears the imprint of the image of God," Laras said. "He is a creature gifted with freedom.
"We must consider that man has surely not exercised the power of freedom given to him by God in a worthy manner. Therefore, before posing a theological question, perhaps it is necessary to pose an ethical or sociological question."
According to Laras, the memory of Auschwitz must lead to an "awareness of what happened and to a commitment to say 'never again.'"
For his part, Leone Paserman, a leader of Rome's Jewish community, said in statements on Vatican Radio that the Pope's visit "is an acknowledgment of the horror of the Holocaust. The Pope himself wished to underline that, as a German, he could not fail to come to Auschwitz."
ZE06052909 - 2006-05-29
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-16156?l=english
Jewish Leaders Reflect on Pope's Auschwitz Visit
"A Warning and a Word of Hope"
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