VATICAN CITY, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Pope Leo appealed against the global rise of anti-Semitism on Wednesday, marking the annual commemoration of the Holocaust during his weekly audience at the Vatican
Pope Leo Urges Global Action Against Antisemitism on Holocaust Remembrance Day
Pope Leo's Call to Action
VATICAN CITY, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Pope Leo called on Wednesday for an end to antisemitism worldwide, marking the annual commemoration of the Holocaust with a prayer for a world without prejudice or racism.
Holocaust Remembrance Day
"On this annual occasion of painful remembrance, I ask the Almighty for the gift of a world with no more antisemitism and, with no more prejudice, oppression, or persecution of any human being," the pope said during his weekly audience at the Vatican.
Improving Catholic-Jewish Relations
Leo, the first U.S. pope, appealed to world leaders "to always remain vigilant, so that the horror of genocide may never again fall upon any people".
Pope's Condemnation of Antisemitism
International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an annual commemoration established by the United Nations, was marked on Tuesday.
Relations between the Catholic Church and Judaism have improved in recent decades, after centuries of animosity.
Leo, like his predecessor Pope Francis, has condemned antisemitism several times since becoming the leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church last May.
(Reporting by Joshua McElweeEditing by Cristina Carlevaro and Gareth Jones)
