Francis’ visit today is the first by a Pope who had not lived in Europe through the Second World War which contrasts with his two immediate predecessors who had personal connections to the site.
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In the letter, Weiss says that the presence of the church at the former death camp site is a “clear violation” of a 1987 agreement between Roman Catholic Cardinals and Jewish leaders, which he says: “stipulates in clear language that ‘there will be no permanent Catholic place of worship on the site of the Auschwitz and Birkenau camps'”. He later sat in silent prayer.
With aides using small flashlights to light his way, Francis visited the underground cell where Franciscan monk Maksymilian Kolbe was killed after offering his life to save a Polish man whom camp handlers had picked to die of starvation.
John Paul II hailed from Poland, which was under German control, while Benedict XVI was German. Francis will pray at the Death Wall in Auschwitz, where Polish resistance fighters were executed in summary procedures.
Vatican and Polish church officials said Francis wanted to express his sorrow in silence at the site, mourning the victims in quiet prayer and meditation.
He also met some 25 Christians who risked their lives during the war to help hide and protect Jews in Poland – a group recognised by Israel’s Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations”.
When Francis arrived, the hundreds of guests applauded.
But what was lacking in words was made up for in symbolic moments including an encounter with ten of those who were imprisoned in the camp and the chanting by a Rabbi of Psalm 130 which begins with the line: “out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord”. The millions who now visit have put increasing stress on the aging barracks, prompting urgent conservation efforts that are being funded by governments worldwide.
On Friday, the 75th anniversary of Kolbe’s sacrifice, Francis also visited Birkenau, a part of the camp where most of the killings were committed in gas chambers.
The visit by the pontiff highlights the horrors that took place under the Nazis and for Francis it is a timely reminder of what happens when the concept of mercy is forgotten.
It is his third day of a five-day visit to Poland that includes meetings with young pilgrims taking part in World Youth Day, a global youth celebration.
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“And the victims of the culture of waste are those who weakest and most frail, and this is indeed cruel”, he said.
