Med dette verset fra Klagesangene 3,22 signerte pave Benedikt gjesteboka ved holocaustmuseet Jad va Shem (Minnesmerke og navn) i Jerusalem. Og han sa bl.a.: At the beginning of his Yad Vashem address, Pope Benedict XVI said, «I will give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name … I will give them an everlasting name which shall not be cut off,» quoting from the Book of Isaiah (56:5).
In his speech, Benedict spoke of the eternal nature of a person’s name, an attribute of his humanity which can never be eliminated. The passage from Isaiah that the pope quoted, he said, «furnishes the two simple words which solemnly express the profound significance of this revered place: yad – «memorial»; shem – «name».»
«One can rob a neighbor of possessions, opportunity or freedom. One can weave an insidious web of lies to convince others that certain groups are undeserving of respect. Yet, try as one might, one can never take away the name of a fellow human being.
«Sacred Scripture teaches us the importance of names in conferring upon someone a unique mission or a special gift. God called Abram «Abraham» because he was to become the «father of many nations» (Gen 17:5). Jacob was called «Israel» because he had «contended with God and man and prevailed» (Gen 32:29). The names enshrined in this hallowed monument will forever hold a sacred place among the countless descendants of Abraham. Like his, their faith was tested,» the pope said.
«The Catholic Church,» Benedict emphasized, «feels deep compassion for the victims remembered here.» «As we stand here in silence, their cry still echoes in our hearts. It is a cry raised against every act of injustice and violence. It is a perpetual reproach against the spilling of innocent blood… My dear friends, I am deeply grateful to God and to you for the opportunity to stand here in silence: a silence to remember, a silence to pray, a silence to hope,» Benedict concluded.
Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau ved Jad va Shem var ikke helt fornøyd med pavens tale. Det burde ha vært en tydeligere angrende holdning sa han bl.a. – samtidig sa han at pavens tale på Ben Gurion-flyplassen hadde vært ypperlig.