BUENOS AIRES/NEW YORK – In an unprecedented video message to the World Jewish Congress’ Latin American branch on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack against the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires, Pope Francis has expressed his solidarity with the Jewish community of Argentina and made an impassioned call for justice. The video message was recorded by Claudio Epelman of the Latin American Jewish Congress and will be screened at the commemoration in the Argentine capital on Friday.
“Terrorism is lunacy. Terrorism’s only purpose is to kill. It does not build anything, it only destroys,” the pope said in the message in Spanish. “For this reason, I stand side-by-side with all those who have seen lives cut short, hopes destroyed, and ruin. I have said that Buenos Aires is a city that needs to cry, that still hasn’t cried enough. Even if it is commonplace, I repeat: We need to cry,” Francis says, adding: “May justice be done!”
Before being elected as Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio served as the archbishop of Buenos Aires, where he built close relations with the local Jewish community.
World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder thanked the Catholic pontiff for agreeing to make this moving message to the Argentine Jewish community. “This special gesture may be the first time any pope has recorded such a message. We thank Pope Francis for his heartfelt message and want to express to him our profound gratitude that he has chosen to make his opinion known so forthrightly on this sorrowful anniversary. The world needs to hear this message and heed its call for solidarity with the victims and desire for justice.”
The 18 July 1994 bombing, which killed 85 and wounded hundreds, was the largest terrorist attack in the history of South America and a traumatic event for Jews in Argentina and beyond. Argentine investigators have blamed it on Iran.
“Long ago, Argentina’s judiciary presented evidence that the AMIA bombing was ordered and masterminded by senior officials in the Iranian government of the time, and carried out by Hezbollah operatives. It even presented Interpol with the names of the alleged perpetrators, which in turn issued red alerts calling for their capture, but none has been apprehended or prosecuted,” Lauder said, adding: “Twenty years on, it’s high time to close this chapter and bring those who committed this act of terror to justice.”
The video message was recorded recently at the Vatican by Claudio Epelman, a friend of the pope. Epelman serves as executive director of the Latin American Jewish Congress, the World Jewish Congress’ Latin American branch, and is in charge of WJC relations with the Vatican.
The World Jewish Congress has been active in the campaign to bring the perpetrators to justice. In April, the WJC called on the Argentine government to rescind a Memorandum of Understanding it reached last year with Iran. WJC argues that the Memorandum has only hampered the prosecution and allowed Iran to evade its responsibility in the case.
As Jewish communities around the world geared up to mark the anniversary with vigils, the WJC is urging the international community to persuade Argentina to rescind the memorandum, and to again push the Iranians to surrender the AMIA suspects.
MESSAGE FROM POPE FRANCIS ON THE OCCASION OF 20th ANNIVERSARY OF AMIA BOMBING
[Translation from Spanish]
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy at the AMIA, I would like to express my solidarity with the Jewish community of Argentina and with all the family members of the victims, be they Jews or Christians.
It is now 20 years since this tragedy, since this lunacy happened. Terrorism is lunacy. Terrorism’s only purpose is to kill. It does not build anything, it only destroys.
For this reason, I stand side-by-side with all those who have seen lives cut short, hopes destroyed, and ruin.
I have said that Buenos Aires is a city that needs to cry, that still hasn’t cried enough. Even if it is commonplace, I repeat: We need to cry.
We tend to archive things in order not to burden ourselves with history, with suffering, with things that could have been beautiful but weren’t.
And therefore, it costs us a lot to find ways to reach justice, to face the damage this tragedy has inflicted upon society.
Today, together with my solidarity and my prayers for all the victims, comes my desire for justice. May justice be done!
God bless you all, the institutions and the families. And may God give peace to all those who died in this act of lunacy.
