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Pope Recalls Holocaust Horrors, Forgets Jews
Benedict XVI has testy relationship with Jewish community
By Drew Nelles
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Posted Sep 6, 09 5:12 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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Pope Benedict XVI recognized the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II today by paying tribute to Poles and the “tragedy of the Holocaust,” but did not mention its Jewish victims, the New York Times reports. The omission may further strain relations between Jewish leaders and the pope, who once served in the Hitler Youth and has revoked the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop.
Benedict's words: “We cannot forget the major events that took place during one of the most terrible conflicts in history, that left tens of millions dead and provoked so much suffering for our beloved Polish people. It was conflict that saw the tragedy of the Holocaust and the extermination of so many other innocents.”