Jewish group condemns Pope's statement on Muslim refugees

Pope Francis was rebuked for his 'regrettable' comments about Muslim refugee centers by the American Jewish Committee. The Pope appeared to compare the resettlement centers to concentration camps while speaking to migrants.

The Pope was referring to a trip he had taken to a refugee camp on the island of Lesbos in the Mediterranean Sea when he told migrants about a refugee he had met who told him that his Christian wife refused to throw her crucifix on the ground and was killed over it.

"I don't know if he managed to leave that concentration camp, because refugee camps - many of them - are concentration... because there is a great number of people left there inside them."

He then concluded that others have to bear an "extra burder" to help refugees because, "it seems that international accords are more important than human rights".

"If every municipality in Italy took in just two migrants there would be a place for everyone," he added.

American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris explained the group's opposition to the Pope's words, saying "The conditions in which migrants are currently living in some European countries may well be difficult, and deserve still greater international attention, but concentration camps they certainly are not."

The Nazis rounded up Jewish people and other "undesirables" from the countries they invaded into concentration camps for Hitler's "Final Solution." This bears little historical resemblance to refugees fleeing war and oppression to seek sanctuary in European countries and being stalled for immigration processing.

“The Nazis and their allies erected and used concentration camps for slave labor and the extermination of millions of people during World War II," Harris added. "There is no comparison to the magnitude of that tragedy.”

“We respectfully urge the Pope to reconsider his regrettable choice of words,” concluded Harris. “Precision of language and facts is absolutely essential when making any historical reference, all the more so when coming from such a prominent and admired world figure.”

The Pope has been criticized by many, especially in the West, of harboring left-wing views and opinions, but he's also been slammed by the left for not being revolutionary enough.