Gauck: It was important to apologize to the Greeks

German President Joachim Gauck appeared shocked by his recent official visit to Greece, stating to the German public television ARD that "it was important to apologize."
 
Referring to his visit to the Ligkiades village in Ioannina, where the SS executed more than 80 civilians, he described the emotional moments he experienced there, giving some facts, which were not disclosed by the media.
 
"I was next to a man, President Papoulias and his wife. As a young man he was in the resistance. But he was standing by my side, full of confidence, because he felt that I was not putting on a show. I was 5 years old when the war ended, I have no guilt for that war, but I felt the guilt of previous generations and I showed it, I had to, when I found myself to such a place. Whatever he said, and the emotions he showed me, especially he, were so sublime, so wonderful that in such circumstances you feel it is feasible to apologize. And then followed the meeting in Ioannina, where there is a small Jewish community, with survivors… we hugged… I was so happy I was there as a representative of a new solidaristic Germany."
 
It is worth noting that Gauck admitted he did not know the true extent of the Nazi atrocities. "Before my visit to Greece I read the relevant literature and found that no one knew, not even me, the extent of the atrocities of our ancestors. For eight years I was head of a club against oblivion and for democracy, employing a lot of people. I also know about Distomo, where the Wehrmacht or the SS, committed crimes. I know there are activists who go there to work towards reconciliation. But I never knew the actual dimensions of the crimes, even though I'm an expert regarding the past," Gauck said.