x
Breaking News
More () »

Pope marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, warns warped ideologies could pave the way to another mass extermination

Francis spoke off the cuff at the end of his weekly general audience to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in Poland.

ROME, Italy — Pope Francis marked Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday by warning that warped ideologies can pave the way to another mass extermination.

Francis spoke off the cuff at the end of his weekly general audience, held in his private library because of coronavirus restrictions, to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in Poland, where Nazis killed more than 1 million Jews and others.

RELATED: Auschwitz survivors mark anniversary online amid pandemic

The Argentine pope insisted on the need to remember, saying it was a sign of humanity and a condition for a peaceful future. But he said remembering “also means to be aware that these things can happen again, starting with ideological proposals that claim to save a people and end up destroying a people and humanity.”

He warned that the Holocaust began that way, opening “this path of death, extermination and brutality.”

"Today we celebrate #RemembranceDay," Pope Francis tweeted on Wednesday. "To remember is an expression of humanity; it means being attentive because these things can happen again, starting with ideological proposals that are intended to save a people and end up destroying humanity."

RELATED: Vatican: Pope Francis receives coronavirus vaccine

“Remembering is an expression of humanity. Remembering is a sign of civilization,” the Pope said. “Remembering is a condition for a better future of peace and fraternity.”

Francis prayed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial during his 2016 visit to Poland. He was the third pope to visit the site, following Pope St John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Credit: AP
FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2020 file photo, Pope Francis delivers his message during the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, on the Immaculate Conception day, at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, file)

RELATED: Pope says women can read at Mass, but still can't be priests

RELATED: Pope formally strips Vatican secretariat of state of assets

RELATED: Vatican: OK to get virus vaccines using abortion cell lines

RELATED: Vatican: Pope to visit Iraq in March, pandemic permitting

Erin McHugh from Tegna contributed to this report.

Before You Leave, Check This Out