Pope recalls outbreak of World War II, fall of Berlin Wall

October 09, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI attended a concert commemorating the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II on Thursday evening, October 8. In brief remarks at the conclusion of the concert, the Holy Father referred to the war as "a terrible page of history steeped in violence and inhumanity." He reminded the audience of the pleas for peace by Pope Pius XII, who said: "Nothing is lost with peace. Everything may be lost with war."

Pope Benedict went on to note the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, saying that event was "an eloquent symbol of the end of the totalitarian Communist regimes of eastern Europe." The collapse of totalitarian regimes, he said, is a reminder that "Europe, and the entire world, thirst for freedom and peace."

 

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Further information:

• Pope to Young Peope: Never Yield to Temptation of War (VIS)