Dear Friends,
Today is Holocaust Memorial Day.
Today we, the international community, mark a tragedy that must be remembered. The slaughter of six-and-a-half million people - there are no words to describe the killing of so many.
It was on this date in 1945 that the largest Nazi killing camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, was liberated.
Today we honour the survivors, remember the victims, and all those whose lives changed beyond recognition at the hands of Nazi persecution.
People say I must understand the Holocaust because of where I am. That is untrue. The tragedy and violence of Iraq cannot be compared with the scope of the massacre that is now marked in Israel as Yom Ha Shoah.
Though I am not Jewish, this event in history has affected me deeply throughout my life. It is, in part, the reason I am where I am now, the reason I work for reconciliation.
We must learn from our past
I worry that, given time, the world will forget. Even here, there are young people who haven't been taught about the Holocaust, and people who have not heard about this day of remembrance.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, said philosopher George Santayana.
In the aftermath of that grim time, the world said never again. But genocides have continued - Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur. The Armenian and Assyrians. They each testify our ability to ignore the lessons of the past.
The path to Genocide starts with a single step. It begins when people's differences are seen as a thing to fear, and used as a reason to divide.
We cannot change history, and the past belongs to us all. Today is a time to reflect; an opportunity to look to our society now, to ourselves too, and consider the values we hold.
May the victims of the Holocaust, and those of persecution since, rest in peace and rise in Glory.
May the paths we now choose reflect a desire for genuine change and lasting unity.
And may we use the lessons of our past to build a future to be proud of, together.
With peace and blessings,
Andrew
Canon Andrew White
