Vatican – The Vatican played down Pope Benedict’s teenage membership of the Hitler Youth Tuesday after it was highlighted by Jewish critics of remarks he made about the Holocaust during his continuing visit to Israel.
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An official spokesman withdrew an initial statement that the German-born pope had “never, never, never” been in the Hitler Youth after reporters pointed out that Benedict himself had said he was — in a 1996 book on the then cardinal, Joseph Ratzinger.
Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, 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.”
Many Israelis felt the pope, who spoke of never forgetting the “horrific tragedy of the Shoah,” could have displayed more personal emotion over his nation’s genocide against the Jews.
In “Salt of the Earth,” a 1996 book of reflections based on interviews with German journalist Peter Seewald, the pope, now 82, was asked if he had been in the Hitler Youth. He replied:
“At first we weren’t, but when the compulsory Hitler Youth was introduced in 1941, my brother was obliged to join. I was still too young, but later, as a seminarian, I was registered in the HY. As soon as I was out of the seminary I never went back.”
He said he also served on anti-aircraft batteries and was conscripted into the infantry late in the war. Histories of the time say teenagers conscripted as anti-aircraft auxiliaries, or “Flakhelfer,” from 1943 were formally part of the Hitler Youth.
“It was just something that was done.”
Compare: “I machine-gunned the whole lot of Jews, and we covered the bodies over with dirt. It was just something that was done.”
If my math is right, he was 12 at the beginning of the war and 16 when he was drafted to man the anti-aircraft guns. Being part of the HY at the time and at his age was what one did (like joining Scouts in the US). Figure he was high school age.
Not worth making a big thing.
We can fixate on the Pope’s extra-ciricular activities as a teenager or focus on how the Vatican might become a positive force over the long term for achieving some type of workable peace settlement. I prefer the latter, but others can continue obcessing about his past….
Back then, all the boys joined HY. He was only 16 or 17 when the war ended. These were children who were pulled into something they barely had the capacity to understand. Let it go.
Who cares about Hitler Youth? What the man needs is a bobby pin or some Velcro strips!
I’m sorry but to actually give him some slack. If everyone he knew was pushed to join how can he not? He was a teenager.
The issue isn’t so much whether he had the choice to sign up or not, but that since he was involved (albeit against his will) it’s only correct that he should offer some form of an apology. Though considering he was visiting and speaking as a representative of the Vatican and not as an individual it’s understandable why this wouldn’t be the appropriate platform for such an apology unless it’s for the acts of the Vatican during wwii.
So I believe he has to give an apology but this isn’t necessarily the place for it.
Now, I am not saying he is not a horrible rusha, and anti-semite. I have no use for any anti-semite.
However, we can’t hold what they forced the kids to do in Germany against them.
That would be like punishing American kids for participating in mandatory activities here. He did not have a choice.
He is a bad man. There is enough on him in his adult life.
To drag his youth up, is to re-focus on that, and then when normal people excuse his youthful activities, he is “washed clean.”
So, if you want him to stay dirty, as he should be, forgive his youth, and focus on today.
Reply to#12 this is most certainly the place for the pope to offer a genuine heartfelt apology, as the head of the vatican and as an individual who was a member of the hy. Whether he did or did not join willingly is irrelevant.
Whether he joined or was FORCED to join the HY voluntarily ,is irrelevant.
As a child, living in Vienna until 1940 (Austria had become part of the German Reich in March 1938) I can attest to what happened to the children of even friendly neighbors and my own classmates who joined volunatily or were forced (?) to join the HY.
The anti Jewish propaganda and hatred that was fed to these children
at a young age – NEVER left them! EVERY one them became an anti semite who was taught that Jews must die. – for life.
It is doubtful that the Pope was different
If we’re not mistaken, prior to being elected head of the Roman Catholic church, the current pope was the head of the “Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,” which is the present-day name for the notorious Office of the Inquisition. Setting aside the symbolism of the historical job title (Chief Inquisitor), it would be interesting to know something about the leadership-direction of the pope, while heading that office.