Pope Benedict XVI and Judaism - Visit To Israel

Visit To Israel

However amid claims that the Pope is ruining Jewish-Catholic relations, the Israeli ambassador to the Holy See stated that "the climate is good" and said he believed there was "a lot of potential for the cooperation" between the Vatican and Israel. In May 2009, Pope Benedict XVI visited Israel to stress the shared roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He said that his pilgrimage to the Middle East was a reminder of the "inseparable bond" between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people. He spoke from Mount Nebo, the wind-swept hill overlooking the Jordan valley from where the Bible says Moses saw the Promised Land. The sun broke through the morning mist just before he arrived at the site.

The Government of Israel also inaugurated a special website dedicated to the Pope’s pilgrimage to Israel. The website, Pope Benedict XVI in Israel, presented in eight languages (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Italian, German and Hebrew), contains information and updates on the Papal pilgrimage, Israel-Vatican relations, Christian communities in Israel and Christian holy sites throughout the country.

The Pope made a speech at Yad Vashem, one of the world's foremost Holocaust museums. The speech expressed "deep compassion" for the "millions of Jews killed," but did not implicate any Catholic guilt for the Holocaust, nor use the words "German," "Nazi," or "murder," nor did he discuss his own personal wartime experience in which he was "registered in the Hitler Youth." It was widely criticized for its banality and its omissions, including by the director of Yad Vashem. The Pope also refused to go inside the museum because the museum paints an unflattering picture of Pius XII, the pope during the Holocaust, "for not doing enough to help save Jews."

Benedict later denounced the "brutal extermination" of Jews by "a godless regime" as he wrapped up his trip to Israel, although once again he didn't explicitly mention the name of that regime (the Nazis or Germans) or any possible guilt on the part of the Church.

According to journalist Richard Boudreaux, Benedict's farewell remarks from the tarmac at Tel Aviv's airport pleased both Israelis and Palestinians, many of whom had initially viewed him with skepticism. Some said later they felt vindication from portions of his carefully worded statements and a measure of respect for his moral authority. The World Jewish Congress subsequently praised the visit, calling it a milestone for understanding between Christians and Jews.