Pope Francis has condemned antisemitism as a “sin against God” and expressed heartbreak after noticing a “terrible” rise in Jew hatred around the world.
In a letter addressed to “my Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel”, dated February 2 and made public on Saturday, the pontiff wrote: “The path that the Church has walked with you, the ancient people of the covenant, rejects every form of anti-Judaism and antisemitism, unequivocally condemning manifestations of hatred towards Jews and Judaism as a sin against God.”
He added, “Together with you, we, Catholics, are very concerned about the terrible increase in attacks against Jews around the world. We had hoped that ‘Never Again’ would be a refrain heard by the new generations.”
The 87-year-old head of the Vatican added that his “heart is torn at the sight of what is happening in the Holy Land, by the power of so much division and so much hatred… the whole world looks on at what is happening in that land with apprehension and pain.”
