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Last update - 22:13 11/05/2009
Pope: Holocaust victims' cry still echoes in our hearts
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel news, pope Israel 

Pope Benedict XVI visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Monday as part of his tour of Israel and the Middle East, where he lamented the suffering of the victims of the Holocaust.

"As we stand here in silence, their cry still echoes in our hearts. It is a cry raised against every act of injustice and violence. It is a perpetual reproach against the spilling of innocent blood," said the pope in his address.

The pontiff voiced the commitment of the Church to preventing such tragedies as the Holocaust in the future, saying "the Church is committed to praying and working tirelessly to ensure that hatred will never reign in the hearts of men again."
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"May the names of the victims never perish and may their suffering never be denied, belittled or forgotten," the pope added, in condemnation of Holocaust denial, a phenomenon that has recently raised tensions between the Church and the Jews when the pope reinstated a bishop who denied Nazis killed six million Jews.

A large portion of the pontiff's speech centered around the names of the victims of the Holocaust, essentially saying that the Holocaust cannot be denied.

"One can rob a neighbor of possessions, opportunity of freedom. One can weave an insidious web of lies to convince others that certain groups are undeserving of respect. Yet, try as one might, one can never take away the name of a fellow human being," the pope said.

The pope stressed the importance of preventing such atrocities as the Holocaust, saying "may all the people of goodwill remain vigilant in rooting out from the heart of man anything that could lead to tragedies such as this."

"The Catholic Church feels deep compassion for the victims remembered here," the pope continued. "Similarly, she draws close to all those who today are subjected to persecution on account of race, color, condition of life or religion - their sufferings are hers and hers is their hope for justice."

The Chairman of Yad Vashem council, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, expressed disappointment at the pope's speech, saying that "there certainly was no apology expressed here."

The German-born pope made a moving speech, he said, but added: "Something was missing. There was no mention of the Germans or the Nazis who participated in the butchery, nor a word of regret."

Nor was there an "expression of empathy with the sorrow."

Lau also criticized the pope for not specifically saying six million Jews were killed - though Pope Benedict did use this figure earlier in the day during another speech.

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      1.   One delicate issue that the Pope seems to have omitted 19:40  |  Fairplay 11/05/09
      2.   What does Rav Lau want? 20:05  |  Chris Linthwaite 11/05/09
      3.   Papal hypocrisy 20:12  |  Arie 11/05/09
      4.   Did the poor citizens of Israel have to pay for the wreath too? 20:13  |  bnei menashe 11/05/09
      5.   You are too critical - Pope tried his best 20:15  |  Fred 11/05/09
      6.   His speech was full of pious nothings 20:30  |  x-ray 11/05/09
      7.   Remove Lau from Chair 20:37  |  MarkC 11/05/09
      8.   I wonder what kind of speech the Pope will be making 20:39  |  Akram Zekaria 11/05/09
      9.   bolsheviks 20:39  |  anna 11/05/09
      10.   Pope sounds like Arafat 20:41  |  Jeff 11/05/09
      11.   yes me lord!! ur holyness is 100% right 20:43  |  dave 11/05/09
      12.   Papele recognize Jews in religious realm as a link in chain 20:55  |  17 11/05/09
      13.   Talmudic nitpicking 21:04  |  David 11/05/09
      14.   hitler youth speaks...... 21:16  |  eli75 11/05/09
      15.   Oh Really 21:17  |  Mark 11/05/09
      16.   Never Again? 21:23  |  Andrew 11/05/09
      17.   `Holy` men give me the sh*ts! 21:34  |  Maureen Ann 11/05/09
      18.   There`s no pleasing some 21:38  |  sh 11/05/09
      19.   Why is does the Pope take the blame for Nazis! 22:09  |  Joel 11/05/09
      20.   Fairplay - Goes both ways 22:17  |  Manity 11/05/09
      21.   Does it? A Pope with a heart? Never heard of... 22:19  |  GWB 11/05/09
      22.   Good wishes to the Pope 22:38  |  Reid 11/05/09
      23.   #1 22:40  |  nathan_the_wise 11/05/09
      24.   to add to excellent post 1 two keywords the pope left out 22:41  |  Jew- and Bookburner 11/05/09
      25.   I think he was trying 23:20  |  rm 11/05/09
      26.   Pope was wring to walk away 23:26  |  Antonio da Silvar 11/05/09
      27.   Useless, unjstified attacks to the Pope 23:41  |  Andrea 11/05/09
      28.   One wonders... 00:01  |  Colin Wright 12/05/09
      29.   Fairplay--very odd coming from you 00:03  |  Labhras 12/05/09
      30.   Nazis and Catholicism - Fairplay 00:04  |  PCR 12/05/09
      31.   Christian theology layed the foundation for Holocaust 00:13  |  Jon 12/05/09
      32.   The Pope must have read N Finkelstein,s book 00:15  |  Labhras 12/05/09
      33.   Lukewarm, overdue and diluted. 00:35  |  Fortuna Benmayor 12/05/09
      34.   fairplay 1 00:39  |  potobac 12/05/09
      35.   Manity please cite your evidence 00:43  |  Fairplay 12/05/09
      36.   #4 & the Pope.. 01:04  |  Edithann 12/05/09
      37.   Fairplay... 02:05  |  Bob 12/05/09
      38.   Responding to N 4. 02:38  |  Luiz Felipe Haddad 12/05/09
      39.   # 2 joel 15:03  |  The Teacher/Instruct 12/05/09
      40.   # 2 joel 16:47  |  The Teacher/Instruct 12/05/09
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