Church leaders across Europe marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau German death camp 27 January by calling for remembrance of Nazi-inflicted suffering and for a united fight against rising antisemitism and extremism.
“The memory of Auschwitz, and the moral obligation that Auschwitz must not be repeated, characterise the political culture of Germany and Europe,” said Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, president of the German bishops’ conference, emphasising that this “makes human dignity and rights the basis of all political action,” which “however imperfect, binds the actions of states to legal principles and seeks to prevent and punish war crimes.”
The German prelate said in recent years he was “shocked to see” that “political movements and parties have been able to establish themselves in society that aggressively question the constitutional foundations of democracy and international law and often demonstratively disregard them where they govern.”
He lamented that “in parts of the public and social media, the memory of Auschwitz has faded, there is a rhetoric of contempt towards minorities and those who think differently, and misinformation and lies are deliberately spread.”
The statement was issued as heads of state and government gathered 27 January at Auschwitz-Birkenau in southern Poland to mark International Holocaust Memorial Day and remember the camp’s estimated 1.1 million mostly Jewish, but also Polish, Roma, Soviet POWs and other nationalities’ and social group victims.
After Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, it occupied the country until 1945, spreading terror on an unprecedented scale, which killed 6 million of Poland’s citizens, including 3 million of the country’s Jews.
Pope Francis echoed this sentiment, urging the eradication of antisemitism and all forms of discrimination.
At the commemoration, which included global leaders from over 50 countries, Polish President Andrzej Duda highlighted Poland’s role in guarding the memory of the Holocaust.
However, Jewish theologian Stanislaw Krajewski warned that rising anti-Jewish sentiments in Europe, especially post-October 2023 attacks on Israel, were concerning, despite these remembrance efforts.
A survey revealed widespread fear of another Holocaust, with many younger people lacking knowledge of its history, with 48 per cent of Americans not being able to name a single concentration camp.
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