“Why, Lord, Did You Remain Silent?”

THESE were the words of Pope Benedict XVI, who visited the former concentration camp at Auschwitz, Poland, on May 28, 2006. At the site where the Nazis killed hundreds of thousands of Jews and others, he added: “How many questions arise in this place! Constantly the question comes up: Where was God in those days? Why was he silent? How could he permit this endless slaughter, this triumph of evil? . . . We must continue to cry out humbly yet insistently to God: Rouse yourself! Do not forget mankind, your creature!”

The pope’s speech gave rise to animated reactions. Some detected revealing omissions, such as his failure to mention the anti-Semitism that was associated with atrocities at Auschwitz. Others read into his words an attempt to play down the request of Pope John Paul II for forgiveness of sins that the church committed. A Catholic journalist, Filippo Gentiloni, observed: “It was, however, logical that many commentators when confronted with the difficult question regarding where God was​—a question without an answer—​instead requested an answer to the easier question: Where was Pius XII?” The commentators were referring to Pope Pius XII’s silence during the Holocaust.

The Holocaust and all the other acts of genocide committed throughout human history prove that “man has dominated man to his injury.” (Ecclesiastes 8:9) Furthermore, man’s Creator has not been silent in the face of so much horror. Through the pages of the Bible, he has revealed his reasons for allowing wickedness. God has also assured us that he has not forgotten mankind. In fact, the time period during which God has permitted man to rule himself will soon come to an end. (Jeremiah 10:23) Would you like to know more about God’s purpose for us? Jehovah’s Witnesses will be happy to help you to see the Bible’s answer to the questions that perplexed Pope Benedict XVI.

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Oświęcim Museum