Pope slammed for comparing refugee centers to concentration camps

Pope Francis was criticized for his comparison between refugee centers in Europe and Holocaust concentration camps.

Pope Francis came under fire on Sunday after he compared the refugee centers in Europe to the concentration camps during the Holocaust.

Speaking on Saturday, just two days before Israel marks its national Holocaust Day, Francis commented on the migrant situation in Europe, stating that “these refugee camps — so many are concentration camps, crowded with people… because international accords seem more important than human rights.”

Francis made the comments at Rome’s Basilica of St. Bartholomew during a ceremony to commemorate modern Christian martyrs.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) was quick to decry the Pope for his comments, saying there was no comparison.

“The conditions in which migrants are currently living in some European countries may well be difficult, and deserve still greater international attention, but concentration camps they certainly are not,” stated AJC CEO David Harris.

“The Nazis and their allies erected and used concentration camps for slave labor and the extermination of millions of people during World War II. There is no comparison to the magnitude of that tragedy,” he clarified.

The AJC urged the Pope to “reconsider his regrettable choice of words.”

“Precision of language and facts is absolutely essential when making any historical reference, all the more so when coming from such a prominent and admired world figure,” said Harris.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

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