German pope in ‘Hitler Youth’ controversy
p2pnet news view | Off Topic:- German-born Pope Benedict, “was never a member of the Hitler Youth,” the Toronto Star has the reverent Federico Lombardi saying.
Noting, “many media reports during his Middle East tour had mentioned membership in the Nazi Party’s youth wing,” Lombardi told reporters in Jerusalem, “The Pope was never in the Hitler Youth, never, never, never,” says the story,
The assertions were, “highlighted by Jewish critics of remarks he made about the Holocaust during his continuing visit to Israel,” says Reuters, going on Lombardi, later, “revised his statement to say that the pope had been signed up against his will and did not take an active part in the Nazi Youth movement”.
” ‘He was enrolled involuntarily into the Hitler Youth but he had no active participation,’ Lombardi said. ‘The Hitler Youth is not a significant experience in his life because he was not an active participant. It was just something that was done.’
“The speaker of Israel’s parliament, in some of the strongest criticism of the pope’s speech Monday at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, described him as a ‘German who joined the Hitler Youth and … a person who joined Hitler’s army’.”
The picture on the left is from v666.wordpress.com, captioned “Young Joseph Ratzinger at 13 years (c. 1940) Image Credit: KNA / AP – Now Pope Benedict – 2007″.
He’s in a Wehrmacht anti-aircraft gunner’s uniform
Toronto Star – May 12, 2009
Reuters – Vatican plays down pope’s Hitler Youth pastMay 12, 2009
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May 12th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Did any Hitler youth really have a choice? Seriously even if they chose to join they joined because of a mad mans propaganda. I do not consider this a choice.
What happened during WW2 was horrible; however I cannot believe children decide how to be without direct influence from adults. All children are a reflection of how they were raised.
Jewish people need to blame Hitler, the rest of the country were forced into his beliefs. What good is chucking shit now? Does this help Jewish people?
May 12th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
One should pay more attention to the Pope’s remarks about wanting Europe to “return to its roots”. What were those roots? The Holy Roman Empire! The Inquisition! The persecution of non-Catholics and religious hierarchial control over governments! And before that, a crusade against Muslims.