September 22, 2011
Pope meets with German Jewish leaders in Berlin
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Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Holy Eucharist at the Olympic stadium in Berlin, Sept. 22. Photo by REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Pope Benedict XVI met with leaders of Germany’s Jewish community while on a visit to his homeland.
Benedict, who arrived Thursday in Berlin to visit his native Germany for the third time since becoming pope, met the Jewish leaders in a closed-door meeting in the Reichstag after addressing the German parliament. The meeting lasted about 25 minutes.
Benedict was forced to join the Hitler Youth as a teenager. He has come under fire from the Jewish community for his work to beatify Pope Pius XII, the wartime pope who many accuse of not defending the Jews against the Nazis.
