Was the Pope in the Hitler Youth? -- Benedict vs. Lombardi on the historical record.

The pope and Hitler Youth (Benedict’s own words), by John Allen, Jr. National Catholic Reporter:

During a press briefing in Jerusalem today, the Vatican spokesperson, Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, chided reporters for repeating what he called a falsehood – namely, the claim that the young Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was once a member of the Hitler Youth. "The pope was never in the Hitler Youth: never, never, never," Lombardi said.

Unfortunately for Lombardi, his assertion is contradicted by a fairly unimpeachable source: the future pope himself.

Pope’s Wartime Past Becomes an Issue, by Rachel Donadio (New York Times) In seeking to clarify Pope Benedict XVI’s association with the Hitler Youth, the Vatican further muddied the waters.

Pope Benedict's Pilgrimage to Israel - Roundup

• An Iraqi newspaper yesterday quoted an unnamed lawmaker as saying that Pope Benedict may visit Baghdad as part of his tour of the Middle East (CathNews May 5, 2009) -- however, Vatican spokesman, Fr Federico Lombardi and The Apostolic Nuncio to Iraq and Jordan, Archbishop Francis A. Chullikat, denied the story (Catholic News Agency May 5, 2009).

• The Central Statistical Office of the Church has published information detailing the presence and ministry of the Church in the region, in anticipation of the papal pilgrimage.

  Among other statistics, the report states that "Jordan has a population of 5,720,000 of whom 109,000 (1.91 percent) are Catholic" and "Israel and the Palestinian Territories have a population of 7,180,000 of whom 130,000 (1.81 percent) are Catholic." (The report is a bit dated, having been last updated as of December 31, 2007).

  On a related note, the Associated Press reports: When Pope Benedict XVI comes to the Holy Land next week, he will greet a community of believers whose numbers are gradually eroding" (May 6, 2009):

  Dwarfed by Jewish and Muslim populations, young Christians are increasingly leaving to seek their futures elsewhere, especially those in the Palestinian territories and east Jerusalem. Christians say they are treated with suspicion by both Jews and Muslims and feel caught in an increasingly polarized conflict between them.

  "It became a Muslim cause and a Jewish cause, so Christians, we have nothing to do," said Zakaria Mishriki, a 32-year-old Christian storekeeper in Jerusalem's Old City who has cousins in several U.S. states and Canada.

  The last decade has also seen rising Islamic sentiment in Palestinian society, which has increased pressure on Christians, said Mishriki, whose shop offers wooden nativity scenes and crucifixes.

  Meanwhile, Jewish Israelis do not differentiate between Muslims and Christians and consider all Palestinians a threat, added Mishriki, who was born to a Catholic family and now considers himself Protestant.

• That said, Israel anticipates 10,000 Christian pilgrims to accompany Pope Benedict XVI on his trip to the Holy Land next week, and an increase in the number of Catholic visitors this year as a consequence, according to Tourism Minister Stas Meseznikov. Jerusalem Post May 6, 2009. Meseznikov also noted that the number of Catholic tourists will be exceeded by the number of evangelicals:

  Three million tourists visited Israel last year, including 1.8 million Christians, breaking the record set in 2000.

  A whopping 70 percent of Christian tourists last year were evangelicals, Meseznikov said.

• Zenit News reports that The king of Jordan plans to break protocol this Friday when he receives Benedict XVI (May 5, 2009):

  [Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi] noted that King Abdallah II will welcome the Pontiff at the airport where he is scheduled to arrive at 2:30 p.m.. And in a particularly unusual gesture, he and Queen Rania will again accompany the Holy Father to the airport when he leaves on Monday.

  King Abdallah II has been a vocal advocate of interreligious dialogue -- his Amman Message (27th of Ramadan 1425 AH / 9th November 2004) encouraged the Islamic world to forsake extremism. In addition:

  one of King Abdallah's advisors is Ghazi bin Muhammad, who coordinated the initiative from 138 Muslim scholars who responded to 2006 attacks against the Pope following his address in Regensburg.

  It was this group who wrote "A Common Word," which eventually led to the formation of the Catholic-Muslim Forum in Rome.

• The visit to the Holy Land was among the first that Benedict wanted to make, says Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches. Zenit News has the interview:

  "He had to make the trips that were already scheduled in the preceding pontificate," the cardinal explained, pointing to World Youth Day in Cologne and the World Meeting of Families in Spain.

  But, he added, the Pontiff's "great desire as a first trip and, we could say, as the meaning of the whole of his pontificate toward Jesus, toward the Word of God, was to go to the Holy Land. The principal trip to set the tone of all of his pontificate was this one."

Pope Benedict's Pilgrimage to Israel - Roundup

News

• In reflections ahead of the Easter prayer, the Regina Caeli, Benedict XVI asked for prayers for vocations and for his imminent journey to the Holy Land (AsiaNews.it May 3, 2009):

  “With my visit – explained the pope – I aim to confirm and encourage the Christians in the Holy Land, who are faced with no small amount of difficulties each and every day. As successor to the Apostle Peter, I will bring to them the support and closeness of the entire Church. Moreover, I will be a pilgrim of peace, in the name of the one God, the Father of all. I will be a witness of the Catholic Churches commitment in favour of all those who struggle to practice dialogue and reconciliation, to reach a stable and lasting peace in justice and shared respect. Finally, this voyage cannot avoid being of notable importance for ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue. Jerusalem is, from this point of view, the symbolic city par excellence: there Christ died to unite all of Gods lost children (Jn 11,52)”.

• Benedict XVI's May 8-15 trip to the Holy Land is a pilgrimage, not a political event, emphasized Father Federico Lombardi in the most recent edition of Vatican Television's "Octava Dies." Zenit News reports:

  He called the journey the "most awaited" trip the Pope has made thus far, and possibly the "most binding."

  Father Lombardi clarified that it is "above all a journey of faith," even if events in the Middle East are always interpreted in a political key.

  [...]

  the "political situation in the area is very uncertain, and also the possibilities of peace are fragile. But the Pope all the same sets out, with an admirable courage that is based on faith, to speak of reconciliation and peace."

  "All of us," he affirmed, "should accompany him not only with ordinary prayer, but also with that spiritual movement that John Paul II called the 'great prayer' -- so that the Church is renewed in its sources, so that the union between Christians grows closer, and so that hate finally gives way to reconciliation." [More]

• According to Haaretz, Israel's police and the security establishment have no specific information about potential attacks targeting Pope Benedict XVI:

  Speaking at a briefing ahead of the pontiff's visit, Maj. Gen. Shimon Koren said the police will deploy thousands of personnel around the site of the planned mass on Precipice Mountain and at the Basilica of the Annunciation. The police and the Shin Bet are providing security for the events.

  Koren also said that as of yesterday, no requests had been filed to demonstrate against the Nazareth visit. The police will approve protest requests so long as they do not overshadow or disrupt the pope's visit, he said.

• An Israeli research group reports that the Christian population of Jerusalem has shrunk to 14,000, down from 31,000 at the end of the British Mandate – only 2 percent of the city's population, and far fewer than the 20 percent it constituted in 1946 (Israel National News May 2, 2009):

  The report, prepared by Dr. Amnon Ramon of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, says that most of the younger generation of Christians who were born in Jerusalem have left the city – many emigrating abroad, to the United States, Canada, and South America. "Actually, the vast majority of the non-Arab Christian population has already left the city," Dr. Ramon said, adding that many members of the Arab Christian communities have left as well, with many moving to Jordan. Out of the 14,000 Christians living in the city today, 2,600 are nuns, monks, and clergy studying in the city. [More]

An Israeli postal worker shows a new set of stamps issued to mark the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Holy Land at her office in Jerusalem on May 3, 2009. The stamps, which will be available to the public starting May 4, show holy Christian sites which the pope is due to visit during his trip. The pope will visit Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories between May 8 and 15. Source: Getty Images

• Israel Police and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) have announced that the Western Wall will not be closed to Jewish worshippers during the Pope’s visit (Israel National News May 3, 2009):

  The two bodies made the decision, overturning their previous intention, in response to a request by the Rabbi of the Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch.

  The original decision had caused a minor uproar among the religious community, hundreds of whose members never miss their regular daily prayer service at the holy site.

• Nazareth: Off the beaten track in Jesus' hometown - Matti Friedman (USA Today) profiles the stomping grounds of our Lord and Savior:

  NAZARETH, Israel — When Pope Benedict XVI pays a visit next month to the town where Jesus grew up, he will bring brief attention to a Holy Land destination that is at once world famous and unjustly overlooked.

  Like the tour groups bused into Nazareth for lightning visits on their way to somewhere else, the pope will see the Basilica of the Annunciation, on the site where Christian tradition says an angel told Mary she would bear the child of God.

  Like most visitors, the pope likely won't have the chance to savor the shabby Ottoman chic of the Old City, consume too many of Abu Ashraf's honey-drenched pastries, or watch the young and hip show off their clothes and cars opposite the Dandana restaurant. It's safe to assume he will not experience the ear-spitting repertoire of Chaos, Israel's only Arab heavy metal band. ...

  The Washington Post also has a lengthy article on Nazareth, and the town's hopes that the Pope's visit will bring about a revival in the tourist trade:

  "People will be told, 'Nazareth, Nazareth, Nazareth.' We believe this is the most important Christian city in the world," said Tareq Shehada, general manager of the Nazareth Cultural and Tourism Association.

  "Nazareth has been a day-tripper's site," where tour buses often stop for a few hours before delivering passengers to hotels in other cities, he said. "We feel it should be a tourist city. Not a tourist site."

Commentary

• Test for a reluctant pope (The National May 1, 2009). A profile of the Holy Father written by Damian Thompson (Holy Smoke).

• Pope to Confront Myriad Challenges in Holy Land Trip, by Francis X. Rocca. (Religion News Service) May 1, 2009.