USA
Bishop condemns ‘gates of Auschwitz’ float at school’s Halloween parade
The mock-up of the concentration camp entrance appeared on a float organised by a Catholic school in Pennsylvania
November 2, 2025 10:53
The mock-up of the concentration camp entrance appeared on a float organised by a Catholic school in Pennsylvania
November 2, 2025 10:53A Catholic bishop in Pennsylvania has said he was “shocked and appalled” after a local school featured a mock-up of the gates of Auschwitz on a Halloween parade float.
St Joseph Catholic School brought a replica of the gates, with the notorious motto “Arbeit Mach Frei” (“Work makes you free”), to the annual parade, which took place in Hanover, Pennsylvania on Thursday.
In a statement the following day, the Bishop of Harrisburg, the Most Reverend Timothy C. Senior said: “The inclusion of this image – one that represents the horrific suffering and murder of millions of innocent people, including six million Jews during the Holocaust – is profoundly offensive and unacceptable.
"While the original, approved design for this float did not contain this imagery, it does not change the fact that this highly recognisable symbol of hate was included.”
On behalf of the diocese of Harrisburg, he expressed “my sincere apology to our Jewish brothers and sisters and to all who were hurt or offended by this display,” adding: “I strongly condemn the inclusion of this symbol on the float.”
“As Catholics, we stand firmly against all forms of antisemitism, hatred, and prejudice, which are rampant in our society. The Church’s relationship with the Jewish community is one of deep respect, friendship, and shared faith in the one true God.”
The diocese, he said, would work with the school to ensure the incident became an opportunity for “education and reflection”.
He pledged to work with the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition and the Anti-Defamation League to “provide information to the local school community on the horrific suffering endured by the Jewish people during the Holocaust, and the continued antisemitism seen throughout our world today.”
The incident came just days after the 60th anniversary of the Vatican’s groundbreaking Nostra Aetate declaration, which put Jewish-Catholic relations on a new footing, was commemorated.
The unprecedented papal proclamation absolved Jews of the charge of killing Jesus, which had underpinned centuries of institutionalised Christian antisemitism, and paved the way for a new rapprochement between faiths.
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