Pope asks for forgiveness at Auschwitz

(ANSA) - Rome, July 29 - Pope Francis visited the former concentration camp of Auschwitz near Krakow on Friday as part of his programme for World Youth Day (WYD) in Poland. The pope entered the camp on foot and in silence, with his head bowed.
    He then spent several minutes sitting on a bench in private prayer before meeting with Holocaust survivors. During his visit Francis also prayed in the prison cell once occupied by the Polish saint Massimiliano Kolbe, who volunteered to take the place of a father selected for death by the Nazis. Before departing from the camp he left a message asking for God's forgiveness for the cruelty perpetrated there.
    "Lord, have pity on your people! Lord, forgive such cruelty!" Francis wrote in Spanish according to a Tweet from the memorial museum at Auschwitz. Later in the day the pope is due to visit the paediatric hospital of Prokocim, before leading a Via Crucis with the young participants of WYD in Krakow.
    The Cross will be carried from one station to the next by young people belonging to different associations from all over the world.
    After the rite Francis is due to make a speech before returning to the archbishop's residence in Poland's second city where he will greet faithful including a group of sick, homeless and disabled people.