Pope Francis reveals how he felt about his Auschwitz visit

'And in this remembrance of wars and of so many wounds, of so much pain experienced, there are also many men and women today who suffer from war.'

Pope Francis has opened up about the thoughts running through his mind during his silent Auschwitz visit.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to Aleteia, the Holy Father recalled his visit to Poland during his Wednesday remarks during a general audience.

He spent five days last week in Kraków, Poland for World Youth Day. During his visit, he paid homage to notorious Nazi death camp Auschwitz, where he spent the majority of the time in complete silence.

He spoke of the joys he felt while watching the "the young people, who were the first reason of the Visit" and explained the pilgrim youths "have the will to go forward together, to build bridges, and fraternity."

The pontiff mentioned: "They came also with their wounds, with their questions, but above all with the joy of meeting one another; and once again they formed a mosaic of fraternity."

The Pope was pleased to say all present were touched by the Lord's divine mercy and stated: "May the gift you have received become a daily response to the Lord's call."

On a more sobering note, Pope Francis brought up "the great silence of the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau," stating it "was more eloquent than words."

The Holy Father said he listened intently in the silence and "felt the presence of all the souls who have passed beyond. I felt the compassion and mercy of God, which some holy souls were able to bring even into that abyss.

"In that great silence, I prayed for all the victims of violence and war.

"And there, in that place, I realized more than ever the value of memory, not only as a memory of past events, but as a warning, and responsibility for today and tomorrow, so that the seed of hatred and violence do not take root in the furrows of history.

"And in this remembrance of wars and of so many wounds, of so much pain experienced, there are also many men and women today who suffer from war, so many brothers and sisters.

Looking on the cruelty in that concentration camp, I immediately thought of the cruelties of today, which are similar: not as concentrated as in that place, but everywhere in the world; this world that is sick with cruelty, pain, war, hatred, and sadness.

"That is why I always ask you to pray, that the Lord gives us peace! For all of this, I thank the Lord and the Virgin Mary."

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