The church has selected anew Pope. He has a dubious nazi past. While it is true that Israel has sent forth positive vibes and that it is very possible as he asserts that he was forced into the nazi youth group, there is something else that rubs me the wrong way.

Had his past been checkered by any other despised group (i.e. KKK) I am fully confident that he would never been considered at all. This is even if he were exonirated because of the ugly image it may project. The issue at hand therefore should not be the popes actions rather it should be the ability of the world to swallow a man with a nazi past.

I therefore feel that it is consistent with the Talmud that Esav sone es Yaakov - Esau hates Jacob.

*Sighs*
The world hasn't changed much, has it?

Anyway, like you said. Wherever we are, whenever we are, we must always remember that Esav is soneh L'Yaakov.

Yair

Unfortunately, you will not find a 78+ year old German man who would not have been a Wehrmacht soldier or officer, or a member of Hitlerjugend 60+ years ago... Since 1939, membership in Hitlerjugend was compulsory for youths over 17 and since 1941 for all youths over the age of 10. After the war, the organization was banned. As such, Hitlerjugend was made up of all layers of German society, of course, including young bandits. What Ratzinger did while in HJ - I have no idea, but I heard that in May 1945 he was recruited to fight for Berlin, injured his hand while digging trenches, and deserted a couple of days before the Russians came. I don't know how much of this is true.

Simon Wiesenthal Center said nothing about the guy - is it because he is not guilty, or is it because it doesn't want to destroy the dialogue between the Catholic church and the Jewish organizations?

I also read that he was an active participant in the previous Pope's attempts at establishing a Catholic-Jewish dialogue and a supporter of John Paul II's edict to stop holding the Jews responsible for deicide.

If he went to Israel to visit Yad Vashem, it would make the most powerful statement about his conscience, but I wouldn't expect a Pope to do that.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Alex,

I might point out that by definition the Pope is infallible, so I guess everything he does is 100% correct and proper.

I'll tell you what would make a big difference to me, and would signal the beginning of a new era in Catholic/Jewish dialogue:

If he opened the Vatican Archive and allowed us access to all of our sacred works contained therein that were confiscated throughout the centuries.

I have heard many rumours of what is contained in the archive....wouldn't it be something to find a Gemora on Pirkei Avos for example?

Robby

more likely to be there are the keilim.