This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/8043113.stm
The article has changed 17 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 14 | Version 15 |
|---|---|
| Pope condemns denial of Holocaust | Pope condemns denial of Holocaust |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Pope Benedict XVI has said the suffering of Holocaust victims must never be denied as he visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. | Pope Benedict XVI has said the suffering of Holocaust victims must never be denied as he visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. |
| "May the names of these victims never perish. May their suffering never be denied, belittled or forgotten," he said in the midst of survivors. | "May the names of these victims never perish. May their suffering never be denied, belittled or forgotten," he said in the midst of survivors. |
| The pontiff began his trip to the Holy Land by saying in Tel Aviv that anti-Semitism was totally unacceptable. | The pontiff began his trip to the Holy Land by saying in Tel Aviv that anti-Semitism was totally unacceptable. |
| He also voiced support for the Palestinians' right to a homeland. | He also voiced support for the Palestinians' right to a homeland. |
| The Pope's immediate, forceful and unequivocal condemnation of anti-Semitism in any form and in any part of the world will have pleased his Israeli hosts, the BBC's David Willey reports from Jerusalem. | The Pope's immediate, forceful and unequivocal condemnation of anti-Semitism in any form and in any part of the world will have pleased his Israeli hosts, the BBC's David Willey reports from Jerusalem. |
| Wreath for the dead | Wreath for the dead |
| Flying in from Jordan, where he visited a mosque at the weekend, Benedict was greeted by Israeli leaders at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv before being flown to Jerusalem by helicopter. | Flying in from Jordan, where he visited a mosque at the weekend, Benedict was greeted by Israeli leaders at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv before being flown to Jerusalem by helicopter. |
| Tim FranksBBC News, Jerusalem Yad Vashem is a place of immense symbolic importance for Jews around the world and, within it, the Hall of Remembrance is one of the most emotion-laden places. The very fact of the Pope's visit here carries huge symbolic importance. His personal history and the long and tortuous history of relations between the Catholic Church and the Jews saw to that. One Holocaust survivor I spoke to, who was one of the six the Pope was going to shake the hand of, told me she had to think about whether she wanted to meet the man who as a teenager had been a Hitler Youth. But then she said yes, it was. His very presence here, she said, was a victory for Israel and against anti-Semitism. | |
| "Sadly, anti-Semitism continues to rear its ugly head in many parts of the world," he said as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres sat nearby. | "Sadly, anti-Semitism continues to rear its ugly head in many parts of the world," he said as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres sat nearby. |
| "This is totally unacceptable. Every effort must be made to combat anti-Semitism wherever it is found." | "This is totally unacceptable. Every effort must be made to combat anti-Semitism wherever it is found." |
| At the Yad Vashem memorial, where he was flanked by President Peres and other Israeli public figures, Pope Benedict laid a wreath on a stone covering the ashes of people killed in the Holocaust. | At the Yad Vashem memorial, where he was flanked by President Peres and other Israeli public figures, Pope Benedict laid a wreath on a stone covering the ashes of people killed in the Holocaust. |
| He shook the hands of six Holocaust survivors before making a sombre speech about the six million Jews killed. | |
| "They lost their lives, but they will never lose their names," he said. | "They lost their lives, but they will never lose their names," he said. |
| "These are indelibly etched in the hearts of their loved ones, their surviving fellow prisoners and all those determined never to allow such an atrocity to disgrace mankind again." | "These are indelibly etched in the hearts of their loved ones, their surviving fellow prisoners and all those determined never to allow such an atrocity to disgrace mankind again." |
| Pope Benedict, as a child growing up in Nazi Germany, joined the Hitler Youth, as was required of young Germans of the time, but he was not an enthusiastic member. | Pope Benedict, as a child growing up in Nazi Germany, joined the Hitler Youth, as was required of young Germans of the time, but he was not an enthusiastic member. |
| 'Just resolution' | 'Just resolution' |
| In his arrival speech, the Pope said the eyes of the world were upon the peoples of the Middle East as they struggled to solve conflicts that had caused so much suffering. | In his arrival speech, the Pope said the eyes of the world were upon the peoples of the Middle East as they struggled to solve conflicts that had caused so much suffering. |
| POPE IN THE MIDDLE EAST Monday Arrives in Israel, meets President Shimon PeresTuesday Visits Western Wall, meets Chief RabbisWednesday Visits Bethlehem, visits refugees, meets Mahmoud AbbasThursday Mass in Nazareth, talks with Benjamin Netanyahu, meets FranciscansFriday Meets Orthodox Christian leaders, departs Itinerary: Israel and West Bank Press operations compete Pope in the Mid East: The issues | |
| He said: "I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstanding difficulties so that both people may live in peace in a homeland of their own within secure and internationally recognised borders." | He said: "I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstanding difficulties so that both people may live in peace in a homeland of their own within secure and internationally recognised borders." |
| President Peres said he hoped the pontiff's visit would help "pave the road to peace". | President Peres said he hoped the pontiff's visit would help "pave the road to peace". |
| Prime Minister Netanyahu has now flown to Egypt, where the idea of a two-state solution will be high on the agenda in talks with President Hosni Mubarak. | Prime Minister Netanyahu has now flown to Egypt, where the idea of a two-state solution will be high on the agenda in talks with President Hosni Mubarak. |
| Israel's new prime minister has so far not said if he will support a two-state solution. | |
| Our correspondent, who is travelling with the Pope, says the Catholic Church and the current Israeli government do not see eye-to-eye on Palestinian statehood. | Our correspondent, who is travelling with the Pope, says the Catholic Church and the current Israeli government do not see eye-to-eye on Palestinian statehood. |
| He says the issue will be the main focus of talks between the Pope and the Israeli government over the next few days. | He says the issue will be the main focus of talks between the Pope and the Israeli government over the next few days. |
| Sacred places | Sacred places |
| The Pope said Israel and the Vatican had many shared values, including the desire to put religion in its rightful place in society. | The Pope said Israel and the Vatican had many shared values, including the desire to put religion in its rightful place in society. |
| HAVE YOUR SAYAs peace loving human beings we should appreciate the Pope's efforts for reconciliation Usman Javaid, US Send us your comments | HAVE YOUR SAYAs peace loving human beings we should appreciate the Pope's efforts for reconciliation Usman Javaid, US Send us your comments |
| Apart from celebrating Mass in Jerusalem and Nazareth, Pope Benedict will also visit the most sacred places in Jerusalem for Jews and Muslims. | Apart from celebrating Mass in Jerusalem and Nazareth, Pope Benedict will also visit the most sacred places in Jerusalem for Jews and Muslims. |
| He will also visit a Palestinian refugee camp close to Bethlehem. | He will also visit a Palestinian refugee camp close to Bethlehem. |
| Israel is beefing up security for the trip in an operation named "White Robe", with tens of thousands of law-enforcement officers deployed and entire sections of Jerusalem to be shut down. | Israel is beefing up security for the trip in an operation named "White Robe", with tens of thousands of law-enforcement officers deployed and entire sections of Jerusalem to be shut down. |
| During the previous leg of his tour - a three-day stay in Jordan - the Pope stressed the importance of Christians and Muslims working together. | During the previous leg of his tour - a three-day stay in Jordan - the Pope stressed the importance of Christians and Muslims working together. |
| Analysts say his words are likely to be heavily scrutinised during this week's trip. | Analysts say his words are likely to be heavily scrutinised during this week's trip. |