In my prayer yesterday, images of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit at Yad Vashem (Temple of Memorial to the Victims of the Holacaust) came back to me. And I asked myself, “what is the significance of all this?” At one level, I felt full of admiration for the Pope, for his courage and humility, to rise up to the challenge of the moment and accept this painful part of history and the role played by his country of origin.On another plane, I felt that the visit was a moment of reconciliation, this time not just because the Pope is German, but exactly because he is the Pope, the head of the Christian catholic community, presumed to be the historic perpetrator of anti-semitism which culminated in the holocaust. I stayed with the thought and took it in as a “heavily-loaded moment” – a moment of “doxa” – a moment of glory!
I could only hope in my heart of hearts that this visit could really pave the way to deeper pardon and lasting peace.
