SHOAH: IMMENSE TRAGEDY TO WHICH NO ONE CAN BE INDIFFERENT

VATICAN CITY, DEC 13, 2006 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, the Holy See Press Office released the following declaration.

  "With reference to the conference taking place in Tehran, the Holy See re-states its own position, already expressed in the document of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews: 'We remember, a reflection on the Shoah.'

  "Last century witnessed the attempt to exterminate the Jewish people, with the consequent killing of millions of Jews of all ages and social categories, simply for the fact of belonging to that people. The Shoah was an immense tragedy to which no one can remain indifferent.

  "The Church approaches with deep respect and great compassion the experience suffered by the Jewish people during the Second World War. The memory of those terrible events must remain as a warning to consciences, in order to eliminate conflicts, respect the legitimate rights of all peoples, and press for peace in truth and in justice.

  "This position was affirmed by Pope John Paul II at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem on March 23, 2000, and repeated by His Holiness Benedict XVI on his visit to the concentration camp of Auschwitz on May 28, 2006."
OP/SHOAH:JEWS/TEHRAN                            VIS 20061213 (210)