On January 17 2010, Pope Benedict visited the Jewish Synagogue in Rome.

Some Italian rabbis stayed away in protest because:

(1) Pope Pius XII did not, they say, condemn the Nazis sufficiently in the 1940s for their persecution of Jews.

(2) The present pope reinstated a “Holocaust-denying” bishop, Bishop Richard Williamson, in January 2009.

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The facts are:

(1) Catholics all over Europe hid Jews from the Nazis with the encouragement of Pius XII. This was remembered and praised by Jewish leaders at the time of Pius XII’s death.

(2) Pope Benedict has distanced himself from Bishop Williamson’s views, saying that he must “take his distance, in an absolutely unequivocal and public fashion, from his position on the Shoah, which the Holy Father was not aware of when the excommunication was lifted . . . .”

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Anyway, in his recent Synagogue speech, the pope talked about the “spiritual closeness and brotherhood” between Christians and Jews.

He said, “Christians and Jews share to a great extent a common spiritual patrimony. They pray to the same Lord . . . .”

In this, was he not implying that Jews have, within their religion, a valid means of finding salvation?

Contrast the first pope, the Apostle Peter, in a speech to the Jews in the year 33AD, within days of the Ascension of Christ, saying, “Let all the house of Israel know most certainly, that God hath made both Lord and Christ, this same Jesus, whom you have crucified.”

How did Saint Peter’s hearers react? The Bible records that, “When they had heard these things, they had compunction in their heart, and said to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles: ‘What shall we do, men and brethren?’

 “Peter said to them: ‘Do penance, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.’”

That was the Catholic answer.

That is exactly what Pope Benedict XVI is not saying.

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Pope Benedict needs our prayers. At present he seems to be getting it wrong.