In the general audience that began at 10:00 a.m. local time this Wednesday in the Paul VI Hall of the Holy See, the pontiff referred to the commemoration, the previous day, of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, which claimed the lives of millions of people during World War II.

“I renew my appeal to the community of nations to remain ever vigilant, so that the horror of genocide may never again afflict any people,” the Holy Father stated.

Genocide, with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, recognized as an international crime under the United Nations Convention, involves acts such as killing, causing severe physical and mental harm, or imposing destructive living conditions on a people.

The call from the Bishop of Rome comes, according to observers, as the world witnesses acts such as Israel’s aggression against the Gaza Strip, which cost the lives of more than 60,000 Palestinians, many of whom were women and children—acts that international law experts consider further acts of genocide.

It also comes just 24 hours after, during a rally in Iowa, US President Donald Trump reaffirmed his intention to try to prevent fuel from reaching Cuba and to further intensify the economic, commercial, and financial blockade, with clear genocidal intentions against that nation, according to analysts.

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