Ex-Auschwitz guard Oskar Groening seeks forgiveness from God

BERLIN, July 1 (UPI) -- A 94-year-old former Nazi SS sergeant known as the "Bookkeeper of Auschwitz" said he will not ask forgiveness from survivors and victim's families, only God.

Oskar Groening, standing trial on 300,000 counts of accessory to murder for his role in the gas-chamber deaths of Hungarian Jews in 1944, said he has deliberately not asked for forgiveness in court

"I can only ask my God for forgiveness," he said through his attorney during his trial Tuesday.

Groening admitted to his role as bookkeeper, sorting cash and valuables seized from Jews arriving at Auschwitz. He has acknowledged "moral guilt," but denies in any direct participation in the genocide, saying his obedience to the Nazi system prevented him from rebelling.

The trial, which began in April, is in its final phase. More than six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.