Daily journal March 30, 2000, The Pope and his Holocaust repentance.

The pope and the papacy, the possible meaning of this trip to Israel now.

Dressed in purple with a host of Jewish and Moslem leaders, the pope confessed to God and the world for atrocities committed against Christians in the ages past but not forgotten, only silent. The first time the Catholic Church have ever confessed anything. They receive confessions by the millions every day but never confess anything in terms of admitting to burning Protestants at the stake by the millions. The newspaper has reported the following from Vatican City, Italy, Nation “In an unprecedented moment in the history of the church, Pope John Paul II asked God’s forgiveness for the sinful Roman Catholics through the ages, including the wrongs inflicted against Jews, women and minorities. The apology was a giant and personal landmark for a frail failing Pope who vowed to cleanse and reinvigorate Catholicism for its third millennium. We forgive and we ask for forgiveness he said at several points during the solemn day at part of mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. “The church burned heretics at the stake during the Inquisition”. Armies of the Catholic faithful slaughtered Moslems during the crusades, During the Holocaust. Some Catholics stood silent in the face of Nazi genocide. The Pope did not specifically mention such infamous wrongs during the service. Few specific groups were mentioned and no names were given. Cardinal Edward Cassidy recalled the sufferings of the people of Israel and asked divine pardon for the sins committed by not just a few Catholics against the people of the covenant. After a moment of silent prayer the Pope then responded “We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer. And asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood”. Several Jewish leaders praised his penitential words but said they expected more during the Pope’s March 20-26 visit to the Holyland. During his trip the Pontiff will visit Israel’s Holocaust Memorial, and the Western wall, the holiest site in Judaism. At the end of the confessions, he embraced a large crucifix on the altar for the special mass imploring God’s forgiveness. We are asking pardon for divisions among Christians, for the use of violence that some have committed in service of truth. And for the attitudes of mistrust and hostility assumed toward followers of other religions. John Paul said in his homily. The Cardinals and bishops also wearing purple, cited contempt for other cultures and religions and the treatment of women who are all too often humiliated and marginalizes. It fell to the head of the Inquisitions Vatican’s modern-day successor to confess sins committed to the service of truth. Every man of the church in the name faith and morals sometimes used methods not in keeping with the gospel he confessed. “Have mercy on your sinful children” the Pope responded. John Paul described his action as an attempt to purify memory and history of hate, rivalry, intolerance and omission. The mass was a highlight in his campaign for the collective examination Cox constructs at the dawn of the new millennium. One of the few groups by name at Sunday’s mass was Roma also known as Gypsies, confession of hatred toward weakest members of society lapses by Catholics regarding mistreatment of children. Those who abuse the promise by technology were also mentioned. Catholic leaders around the world offered their own pleas pardon for various lap so they should in Europe acknowledged that not enough was done to save Jews during World War II then in the United States.