JERUSALEM, (Reuters) – Pope Benedict forcefully denounced the Holocaust yesterday, telling Israelis that the brutal extermination of Jews by the “godless” Nazi regime would never be forgotten or denied.
His language appeared to lift Jewish disappointment over earlier remarks about the murder of six million Jews by his fellow Germans, which to Israelis had sounded cold and distant.
His words were welcomed by Holocaust memorial chairman Avner Shalev who said they “strengthen the pope’s message to the world about the importance of remembering the events of the Holocaust” and who rated the visit a “very positive and significant event”.
Ending a Holy Land pilgrimage which he said made “powerful impressions” of hope and sadness, the 82-year-old pontiff also appealed for peace between Israelis and Palestinians so each can live in their own state, as trustful neighbours in security.
“One of the saddest sights for me during my visit to these lands was the wall,” he said of the high barrier that Israel erected between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the Palestinian town that Christians believe was the birthplace of Jesus.
