Pope Francis: Let 'such horrors never occur again, for they are a disgrace of humanity'

Let "such horrors never occur again, for they are a disgrace of humanity," says Pope Francis in a hand-written letter to his friend, Buenos Aires Rabbi Abraham Skorka (pictured), on the occasion of Memorial Day, a day that commemorates the Holocaust.

Vatican Radio reports that the letter itself will be read in the evening (Jan. 27th) at the Parco della Musica in Rome, on the occasion of the concert 'Violins of Hope'.

The Pope hopes that those who will listen to this music "will be able to identify with the historical tears that today come to us through the violins, and feel a strong desire to do all they can so that such horrors never occur again, for they are a disgrace of humanity."

The audience, the pope writes, will listen to music by Vivaldi, Beethoven and other great composers, "but the heart of all those present will feel behind the sound of the live music the silent sound of historic tears, tears that will leave a trace on the soul and body of nations."

For the first time in Italy, tonight's concert will include twelve violins and a cello that survived the Holocaust, each instrument with its own tragic history.

The instruments were discovered and restored by Israeli luthier Amnon Weinstein. They include a violin that accompanied deportees as they were led to the gas chambers of Auschwitz, a violin thrown from a train en route to the camp that was picked up and saved by a French worker, and the violins of Jewish musicians who left Germany in 1936 and founded the Philharmonic Orchestra of Palestine, later Israel, who were saved from deportation by Toscanini and Huberman.

The violinists who will play tonight include musicians from all three monotheistic religions, a choice designed to emphasise the power of music to transcend all boundaries, and give hope in spite of the worst trials.

Source: asianews.it (Jan. 27, 2014)