(JTA) – The Vatican has joined 30 other states in contributing funding to help preserve the site of the former Auschwitz death camp.
An announcement Monday on the website of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum said the Vatican will contribute $135,000 to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, which aims to raise $162 million to preserve the authentic remains of the former concentration camp in southern Poland.
“Considering the significance of the goal of the Foundation and the support it received from the Polish government, the decision to send support in the amount of 100 thousand Euro has been taken,” read a letter from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, quoted in the announcement. “This sum is so modest due to the limited possibilities. However, this is an expression of full support for the project of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation.”
The announcement said that 31 countries have pledged more than $129 million to the foundation. The total includes the Vatican pledge.
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