Linda Gradstein reports on Pope Benedict's visit to Israel, where he said the suffering of Holocaust victims must never be denied.
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LISA MULLINS: Pope Benedict today said that every avenue should be explored so that Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace. The Pope is in Israel now. It's the latest stop on his pilgrimage to the Middle East. Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem.
LINDA GRADSTEIN: The Pope wasted no time in setting the tone of his visit.
POPE BENEDICT: The Jewish people have experienced the terrible consequences of ideologies that deny the fundamental dignity of every human person. It is right and fitting that during my stay in Israel, I will have the opportunity to honor the memory of the 6 million Jewish victims of the Shoah and to pray that humanity will never again witness a crime of such magnitude.
GRADSTEIN: That was the Pope speaking on his arrival. Later, he denounced anti-Semitism, calling it totally unacceptable. And at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Memorial the Pope met with Holocaust survivors.
POPE BENEDICT: The Catholic Church committed to the teachings of Jesus and intent on imitating his love for people feels deep compassion for the victims remembered here.
GRADSTEIN: Unlike their affection for his predecessor, John Paul the Second, many Israelis are skeptical of this Pope. Born in Germany, he was a member of the Hitler Youth and even served briefly in the German army. Last year, he angered many here when he reinstated a bishop who denied that the Nazis killed 6 million Jews. He later reversed his decision after an outcry from Jews around the world. Debbie Weissman, President of the International Council of Christians and Jews, says the Pope has a chance to win over the Israeli public.
DEBBIE WEISSMAN: He is a Pope who over the past four years of his administration has made statements that have alienated Muslims, Jews, Protestants, some Catholics. He's someone who often misspeaks and then has to retract what he said or at least explain it. So I think this is an opportunity for him to come to the Holy Land where he meets Jews and Muslims sort of on our home ground, and I think it's an opportunity for him to model reconciliation.
GRADSTEIN: The Pope also addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling for a solution that in his words would give both Palestinians and Israelis a homeland of their own. For The World, I'm Linda Gradstein in Jerusalem.
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