Pope Leo XIV marked Holocaust Remembrance Day by reaffirming the Church's commitment against all forms of antisemitism, referencing the 1965 declaration Nostra Aetate. Nostra Aetate, a document from the Second Vatican Council, promotes interreligious dialogue and explicitly rejects antisemitism. The Pope's message emphasized that the Church rejects discrimination or harassment based on ethnicity, language, nationality, or religion. When asked about Middle East tensions, the Pope urged prayer for peace and advocated for dialogue over violence, linking this plea to the commemoration of the Shoah. International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed annually on January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp.
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Pope Leo XIV marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2026, the 81st anniversary of Auschwitz-Birkenau's liberation and the 25th anniversary of the UN-designated observance.1 2 4
The day honors six million Jewish victims and millions of others killed by Nazi persecution.1 4
Pope Leo XIV posted on his @Pontifex account, reaffirming the Church's fidelity to the 1965 Vatican II declaration Nostra Aetate.1 2 4 5
He rejected all antisemitism and discrimination based on ethnicity, language, nationality, or religion.1 2
Leaving Castel Gandolfo on January 27, the Pope urged prayers for peace amid Middle East tensions, including the USS Abraham Lincoln's arrival.1 4 5
He called for dialogue over violence, especially on the Shoah commemoration day, and to fight all forms of antisemitism.1 4 5
During his weekly General Audience, Pope Leo XIV recalled the Holocaust's millions of victims.2 4 5
He prayed for a world free of antisemitism, prejudice, oppression, and persecution.2 4 5
The Pope renewed appeals to nations for vigilance against genocide's horror.2 4 5
He advocated building societies on mutual respect and the common good.2 4 5
Nostra Aetate emphasizes spiritual bonds between Christians and Jews, rejecting hatred and antisemitism.1
It promotes interreligious dialogue, respect for other faiths, and brotherly treatment of all as God's image.1
Catholic doctrine’s stance on antisemitism and genocide
The Catholic Church's doctrine unequivocally condemns antisemitism and genocide as profound violations of human dignity, the image of God in every person, and the divine plan for salvation history. Drawing from Scripture, Tradition, the Magisterium, and conciliar documents, the Church teaches that such acts constitute mortal sins, rooted in hatred that rejects fraternity, charity, and the common good. Antisemitism is rejected not only as a form of racism but as a direct assault on the spiritual patrimony shared with Judaism, while genocide is decried as a crime against humanity and nations, demanding moral resistance even against unlawful orders.
Catholic teaching views genocide—the deliberate extermination of a people, nation, or ethnic minority—as a mortal sin that strikes at the heart of the Fifth Commandment: "You shall not kill." The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) explicitly states: "Actions deliberately contrary to the law of nations and to its universal principles are crimes, as are the orders that command such actions. Blind obedience does not suffice to excuse those who carry them out. Thus the extermination of a people, nation, or ethnic minority must be condemned as a mortal sin. One is morally bound to resist orders that command genocide." This moral imperative underscores personal responsibility, prohibiting participation or complicity.
Popes have reinforced this stance. Pope John Paul II, addressing the roots of anti-Judaism, affirmed: "The Church firmly condemns all forms of genocide, as well as the racist theories that have inspired them and have claimed to justify them." He referenced Pius XI's Mit brennender Sorge (1937) and Pius XII's Summi Pontificatus (1939), which invoke human solidarity and charity across all peoples. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) echoes this in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: "Catholic teaching about the dignity of life calls us to... prevent genocide and attacks against noncombatants; to oppose racism." Nations must exhaust peaceful means before resorting to force, protecting all lives as children of God.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales declares such condemnations "strictly binding on consciences," non-debatable applications of the moral law. Recent papal appeals, like those of Pope Francis on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, stress remembering exterminations "so that we can build a future where human dignity is no longer trampled underfoot."
The Church's doctrine on antisemitism flows from its commitment to the dignity of every person and the irrevocable covenant with the Jewish people. Nostra Aetate (no. 4), from Vatican II, is foundational: "What happened in His passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today... the Church... decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone." It rejects collective guilt for Christ's death, attributing it instead to human sinfulness, including Christians'.
This document urges: "All should see to it... that they do not teach anything that does not conform to the truth of the Gospel and the spirit of Christ." Nostra Aetate (no. 5) extends this to all discrimination: "The Church reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrimination against men or harassment of them because of their race, color, condition of life, or religion."
Popes have built on this. Pope Paul VI, addressing Jewish leaders, reaffirmed "rejection by the Catholic Church of every form of antisemitism." Pope John Paul II called antisemitism "sins against God and humanity," urging education against its resurgence and joint Jewish-Catholic efforts in human rights and religious education. In 1988, he noted the Church's efforts to "rid herself of every vestige of antisemitism and to emphasize her origins in and her religious debt to Judaism." Pope Francis has commemorated Holocaust victims, insisting on dispelling "the roots of hatred and violence that fueled the horror."
Antisemitism exemplifies racism leading to genocide, as in the Shoah. The Church links these: "To the moral evil of any genocide the Shoah adds the evil of a hatred that attacks God’s saving plan for history." CCC 598 clarifies Christian responsibility for Christ's sufferings, countering historical antisemitic narratives. This fosters dialogue, as Nostra Aetate promotes mutual respect through biblical and theological study. Papal teachings emphasize shared patrimony with Jews (Rom 9:4-5; 11:28-29), calling for fraternity.
These doctrines form consciences for faithful citizenship, opposing torture, unjust war, and racism while promoting peace through truth, justice, love, and freedom. Catholics must resist complicity, educate against hatred, and build bridges via dialogue.
In summary, Catholic doctrine presents a unified witness: antisemitism and genocide are irreconcilable with faith, demanding repentance, resistance, remembrance, and fraternal action to uphold human dignity as God's gift.