Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew apologized on behalf of civilized humanity for the tragedy of the Holocaust during his visit to the Holocaust Museum in Israel.

“Long live the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Although we do not know the names of all of them, God does. On behalf of civilized humanity we apologize for the tragic death of these victims and say once more: Never again!”, wrote Bartholomew in the guestbook.

Dorit Novak, director general of Yad Vashem, gave the Ecumenical Patriarch a tour of the Museum and stressed that he considers Bartholomew’s visit a great honour. The Patriarch was accompanied by Metropolitan Isihios of Capitoliad (Patriarchate of Jerusalem).

After the tour, a brief ceremony was held at the Holocaust Memorial, where the Patriarch laid a laurel wreath. In his brief address he expressed his outrage over the Holocaust and noted that these feelings were intensified after his visit to Dachau last week.

The Ecumenical Patriarch, who arrived in Jerusalem on Friday, will be holding separate meetings on Tuesday with the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, as well as with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.