Pope Visits Mass Grave of Nazi Victims
Pope Benedict XVI visited the mass grave of the victims of a Nazi massacre near Rome.
The pope on Sunday called the 1944 massacre of 335 Italian Jews and Catholics by Nazi soldiers at the Ardeatine Caves a “grave offense against God.” The victims included Italian army officers, resistance fighters, civilians and 75 members of Rome’s Jewish community.
In the cave where the massacre victims are buried, the pope read prayers alongside the graves with Roman Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni. Relatives of the victims attended the ceremony.
In the book of witness at the entrance to the cave, the pope wrote in Latin that “I shall fear no evil because You are with me,” Vatican Radio reported.
Benedict was forced to become a member of the Hitler Youth and fought briefly for the Germans during World War II.
He is the third pope to visit the site; Paul VI visited in 1965 and John Paul II in 1982.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
