Forgive Us For So Much Cruelty': Pope Francis Visits Site Of Auschwitz Death Camp
"Pope Francis visited the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz on Friday, keeping a
near-total silence to honor the more than 1 million people — almost all of them Jews — who were systematically killed there during World War II."
"He said a few quiet words to a group of survivors of the concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland, and wrote the following message in Spanish: 'Lord, have mercy on your people. Lord, forgive us for so much cruelty.'"
"The visit was intended to be quiet and somber. He told the media before arriving that he 'would like to go to that place of horror without speeches, without crowds,' as The New York Times reported. He wanted to go 'alone, enter pray. ... And may the Lord give me the grace to cry.'"
"As reporters looked on, the pope passed alone under the infamous sign at the camp entrance that bears the words 'Arbeit Macht Frei,' or 'Work Sets You Free."