A Pennsylvania diocese has apologized for a shocking grade school Halloween parade float that displayed a replica of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp gate.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg formally apologized Friday for the offensive float’s appearance during Thursday evening’s Halloween parade.

Bishop Timothy Senior said he was “shocked and appalled to learn” the float entered by the St. Joseph Catholic School in Hanover, which resembled the Auschwitz Concentration Camp gate, included the words “Arbeit Macht Frei.”

The German phrase — translating to “Work Makes You Free” — was prominently displayed at World War II-era concentration camps across Europe, including the front gate at Auschwitz, where more than 1 million people were executed.

The US Holocaust Memorial Museum note

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