Pope Francis in Jerusalem's Yad Vashem memorial paid tribute to Holocaust victims

YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. On May 26, Pope Francis in Jerusalem's Yad Vashem memorial honored the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Yad Vashem is Israel's national Holocaust memorial, where he kissed the hands of several survivors in a sign of honour.

At a solemn ceremony at the Hall of Remembrance, he spoke of the "boundless tragedy of the Holocaust", describing it as an "unfathomable abyss", informs “Armenpress”.

"Never again, Lord, never again!" he said. "Here we are, Lord, shamed by what man - created in your own image and likeness, was capable of doing."

At the al-Aqsa mosque compound, the Pope urged people of all religions to "work together for justice and peace".

He then prayed at the Western Wall, which lies just beneath it, bowing his head as he touched the stones.

Speaking to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, the Pope deviated from his prepared remarks to call on Christians, Jews and Muslims to "love one another as brothers and sisters".

"May we learn to understand the suffering of others. May no-one abuse the name of God through violence," he said.

Afterwards, he headed to the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites in Judaism. It is part of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount dating back to a time when a Jewish temple stood there.

He also left a written prayer in a crack in the Western Wall's ancient stones, before embracing two close friends from his native Argentina - an imam and a rabbi - who have been travelling with him, informs “ITAR TASS”.