Pope’s Nazi Ties Questioned—Again

It was just the second day of his Holy Land Tour 2009, but unsurprisingly, the presence of Pope Benedict XVI in Israel stirred up more static on Tuesday—this time over his personal wartime history.

BBC:

A row has flared over Pope Benedict XVI’s membership as a teenager of the Hitler Youth, as he paid a historic visit to Jerusalem’s holy sites.

A Vatican spokesman said the pontiff had “never, never, never” belonged—contradicting the Pope’s own admission.

The comments came as he visited the Dome of the Rock—the first pontiff to do so—and then the Western Wall, one of Judaism’s holiest places.

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AP photo / David Silverman, pool

Pope Benedict XVI inserts a written prayer into the cracks of the Western Wall on Tuesday.