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April 24, 2005

A New, and Good, Story on the Pope and Resistance

T
his is the most careful review I've yet seen of the relatively few words the new pope has said publicly about his experiences as a young person in Nazi Germany.

It is an encouraging piece, with a very reasonable tone.

I agree entirely with Diedre Berger, the head of the American Jewish Committee's Berlin office:

"He was a very young person when this happened, it was hardly a matter of choice, and what counts is what he's done in the last 30 years in Jewish-Catholic dialogue," said Deidre Berger, director of the American Jewish Committee's Berlin office.

At the right time, she suggested, the pope may share more of his past.

"We do have someone who has memories of the time, who certainly participated ... on the side of people who were perpetrating mass crimes. So I think the appropriate thing is that at the appropriate moment he is reflective about this personal biography - it will mean a lot in the Jewish world."

Posted by Eric at April 24, 2005 11:16 AM

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Comments

The Hilter youth nonsense blah blah blah. It's all rather tiresome. Leftism at its worst.

Posted by: William R at April 24, 2005 3:04 PM

William R, did you mean "Hitler?" Or did really mean "Hilter?"

Posted by: Eric Muller at April 24, 2005 4:02 PM

Eric,

Assuming you haven't read it already, you'll be interested by the latest Daniel Schneidermann column ("Ratzinger et Jeunesses hitlériennes") in Libération (the link should work for a week or so). His last paragraph:

D'abord, pourquoi ces éléments sur la biographie de Ratzinger n'ont-ils pas été livrés plus tôt au public ? Etaient-ils connus de tous les cardinaux qui l'ont élu ? Lustiger [former archbishop of Paris, himself a converted Jew] le savait-il ? Ensuite, même si en effet le petit Joseph n'avait que 15 ans ; même si sa famille avait donné des preuves d'antinazisme ; même si l'adhésion était quasi obligatoire, le conclave ne pouvait-il vraiment, parmi tous les candidats possibles, trouver un pape qui n'ait pas été adhérent des Jeunesses hitlériennes ?

Posted by: Jimmy Ho at April 24, 2005 6:54 PM

Eric's graduated from Nazi-flame-baiting to spelling flames! It's slow progress, but it is progress.

Posted by: craig at April 24, 2005 8:30 PM

It's not a spelling flame. It's a reference to a very funny Monty Python sketch (to which I linked).

Posted by: Eric Muller at April 24, 2005 10:03 PM

"Shut your cake hole, ya Nazi."

"Cool it Führer cat!"

Posted by: john a at April 25, 2005 6:35 PM