VATICAN CITY — During his Aug. 3 general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reflected on his trip for Poland, where he attended World Youth Day with more than 1 million international pilgrims last week.

As part of the trip, he visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps, where approximately 1 million people, primarily Jews, were killed during the Holocaust.

Pope Francis reflected on “the great silence” of his time at the concentration camps, saying that it “was more eloquent than any word spoken could have been. In that silence, I listened: I felt the presence of all the souls who passed through that place; I felt the compassion, the mercy of God, which a few holy souls were able to bring even into that abyss.”

“In that great silence, I prayed for all the victims of violence and war: and there, in that place, I realized more than ever how precious is memory; not only as a record of past events, but as a warning and a responsibility for today and tomorrow: that the seed of hatred and violence not be allowed to take root in the furrows of history.”

He noted the cruelties that still exist in today’s world and offered a prayer for peace.

But despite the pain and suffering faced by many today, there is hope in the youth, Pope Francis said, pointing to his experience with the young people at World Youth Day.

“Poland, with its rich cultural and spiritual heritage, today reminds us that Europe has no future apart from its founding values, centered on the Christian vision of man and including the message of mercy expressed so eloquently in the last century by Sts. John Paul and Faustina Kowalska,” he said.

And, just two days before the start of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Francis offered a message to those who will be competing in the international games.

“In a world thirsting for peace, tolerance and reconciliation, I hope that the spirit of the Olympic Games inspires all — participants and spectators — to ‘fight the good fight’ and finish the race together,” he said.

The Holy Father voiced hope that, in competing this year, the Olympic athletes will desire “to obtain as a prize not a medal, but something much more precious: the construction of a civilization in which solidarity reigns and is based upon the recognition that we are all members of the same human family, regardless of the differences of culture, skin color or religion.”

Pope Francis offered these words at the conclusion of his general audience.

He offered a warm greeting to the people of Brazil, saying, “I hope that this will be an opportunity to overcome difficult moments and commit … to working as a team to build a more just and safe country, betting all on a future full of hope and joy.”