Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jan 28, 2014 / 19:53 pm
In a letter to his friend Rabbi Abraham Skorka of Buenos Aires to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, Pope Francis wrote that the horror of the Holocaust must never be repeated.
The letter was read out Monday evening at a concert in Rome entitled "Violins of Hope" to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.
In his letter, the Holy Father said he hoped that those who attend the concert "can identify with those historic tears that reach today through the violins, and feel the strong desire to make the commitment that such horrors, which constitute an embarrassment for humanity, are never repeated."
The audience hears the music of Vivaldi, Beethoven and other major composers, "but the hearts of each one present will sense behind the music the silent sound of historic tears that leave their mark on the soul," he said.
Rabbi Skorka is the rector of the Latin American Rabbinic Seminary located in Buenos Aires. He serves as rabbi at the Jewish Community of Benei Tikva and honorary professor of Hebrew Law at the Salvador University in Buenos Aires.
Skorka and Pope Francis have been friends for years, since the Pope's time as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
They co-authored a book entitled, "On Heaven and Earth," featuring a series of questions and answers on various subjects. They also co-hosted a television program together on current affairs.