Pope Leo used his Vatican audience on Jan. 28 to call for a global end to antisemitism and to pray for a world without prejudice, oppression or persecution. He urged world leaders to remain vigilant so genocide never recurs. The remarks coincided with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, designated by the United Nations in 2005. Leo has repeatedly denounced antisemitism since becoming pope last May.
Pope Leo Urges Global End To Antisemitism During Holocaust Remembrance
Pope Leo XIV attends the weekly general audience at the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
VATICAN CITY, Jan 28 — Pope Leo used his weekly audience at the Vatican to call for a worldwide end to antisemitism, praying for a future free of prejudice, oppression and persecution as the world marked the annual Holocaust commemoration.
"On this annual occasion of painful remembrance, I ask the Almighty for the gift of a world with no more antisemitism and, with no more prejudice, oppression, or persecution of any human being,"the pope said, urging a collective commitment to human dignity.
Leo — described in the address as the first U.S. pope — appealed directly to global leaders to remain vigilant so "the horror of genocide may never again fall upon any people." The remarks coincided with the observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day designated by the United Nations in 2005 to honor victims and promote education about the Holocaust.
Relations between the Catholic Church and Judaism have improved significantly in recent decades, especially since the Second Vatican Council and the 1965 declaration Nostra Aetate, which repudiated antisemitism and sought dialogue between faiths.
Like his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo has publicly condemned antisemitism several times since becoming leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church last May, reiterating the Vatican's commitment to interfaith respect and the prevention of hatred.
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