Pope visits Auschwitz

Oswiecim, Poland

Pope Benedict XVI, the first German pope, prayed this week at the former Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz. Benedict said that the Nazi slaughter of millions of Jews was “particularly difficult and troubling for a Christian, for a pope from Germany,” to confront. “Why, Lord, did you remain silent?” he asked. “How could you tolerate this?” Out of deference to Poles, Benedict spoke mostly Italian and Polish during his four-day visit to Poland, birthplace of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Benedict referred frequently to John Paul, who used his papacy to denounce anti-Semitism and reach out to Jews. “If the present pope follows the path shown by John Paul II, then we can only be grateful,” said Tadeusz Jakubowicz, leader of the tiny remaining Jewish community in Krakow.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up