Pope Francis likens refugee centers to concentration camps

Pope Francis has been a very outspoken Pope who isn't afraid in lending his moral authority to a range of controversial causes. But a recent statement he made has some people very upset, especially the Jewish community.

The Pope was speaking to migrants at the Basilica of St. Bartholomew in Rome and he was recounting meeting a man in a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos last year.

The Pope then made a comparison between the refugee centers and concentration camps by saying: "I don't know if he was able to get out of that concentration camp, because the refugee camps -- many -- are concentration (camps), because they are so crowded with people."

The American Jewish Committee said the Pope's words were "regrettable" and that "There is no comparison to the magnitude of that tragedy."

The Vatican's website issued a statement saying the Pope was speaking off the cuff when he said the refugee camps are like "concentration camps."