B"H Every time we as men mess up, we ask where was G-d as if we can blame G-d for all our bad behavior. It is an epecially tempting thing to do when a lot of innocent life is lost to the acts of guilty people. However, G-d set the standard that man should not murder. There IS G-d speaking. We need to realize that mankind is in need of elevation when there are mass crimes like this. It is not fair to distract from our own evil as men to say, "Where is G-d here?" That just drives us as men further from the source of morality that speaks clearly on these problems. We need to ask, "Where was man?" And we need to amend our own behavior to be more admirable as well as to prevent such crime.

The answer to your question is, in the pocket of your compatriot, Mr. A. Hitler

a very delicate question

what never this guy has - THIS pope was in the Hitler youth at the time. NERVE !!!

For almost 2,000 years Jews suffered horrendously at the hands of the apostate church. Monstrous and terrible crimes perpetrated against Jews in the name of G-D! Genocides; blood libels; crusades; pogroms; vicious lies; murder; deportations; inquisitions, culminating in the Holocaust. The apostate church utterly despised G-D and G-D's Laws. Utterly despised G-D's commandment: "YOU SHALL NOT MURDER"

Perhaps Jews and Catholics should stop talking to the dead. Even when the God of Israel is now clearly at work in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, the world has still not officially acknowledged it. Even Jesus's transfiguration to the Ancient of Days was never officially recorded. So perhaps a reply could be: Where were the people of these years when God clearly appeared? Why do you all remain silent, at this time?

is not my best subject so I would be happy to stand corrected. I was always under the impression that the three monotheistic religions contend that God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. If this is true then the Pope's question is very confusing to me. Why should he ask a question which infers a direct conflict with his beliefs, and the beliefs that he teaches his flock. Could it be that he doubts his beliefs and the prudence of teaching them. Perhaps he was thinking that God took a vacation for five years, but then again, God, having all these qualities, even on vacation he has a full working day. Actually, I have been trying to work this one out for many years, the question His Holiness posed just renewed my confusion. Any answers ?

If you take the hebrew year corresponding to 1945 ( which was the end of WW2) it is 5705 or somewhere close to that. If you look up the 5713th verse of the torah, then you find the answer for all the questions. It is in the book duetoronomy, the last few sentences of chapter 29. It says the following... " the hidden (sins) are for hashem..." this is the best answer, the reason why this all happened is only for G-D, and not for man to understand. I encourage you to look it up!

Many of these talkbacks contain criticisms of the pope for questioning where G-d was. But many Jews had similar questions after the Holocaust. Maybe we should just appreciate the Pope recognising the horror of those times and praying that it never happens again.

eating raviolli at lavazza

Impressed by the earnestness of the question, let me give a hint as a protestant theologian: God's omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence are to be interpreted in the frame of his whole self-revelation. Take Is. 57:15 for example and see what "omnipresence" means more exactly. And has the Pope not taught later in his speech how HaShem has indeed stepped down into the deepest misery, sharing personally the suffering? In the history of salvation, His omnipotence goes the way of utter self-abasement, but it will be fully disclosed at the end of this age.

Is:55-8 Ki lo machshavotay machshevoteichem, v'lo darcheichem drachay ne'oom Hashem - "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," says Hashem. I wrote this piece a while back on Aish, I will paste it here. Volvi , 5/2/2005 More Paralels I read the article and was moved by the Rebbetzen's words. However like a few other comments made here by others I have to offer an alternative view to why the Shoah happened. Hardly to strengthen Yiddishkeit for most know Yiddishkeit was thriving in Eastern pre war Europe. Aside the assimilated community within Germany, from which a whole lesson may be learned from to which I intend to touch upon later. Why did the Shoah happen? I cannot claim to know Hashem and his workings but can only offer what I see may possibly be the reasons. "Kibbutz Galuyot" - Ingathering of the exiles, was prophecised some two thousand years ago. How could it come about? Whilst in the late 1800's the movement of Jews electing to go up to Jerusalem ironically came mostly from the secular Zionists of Jewery. Be they from Hashomeir Hatzair etc. Orthodox Jewery rarely if ever made such a move. They repeatedly said "Ven Mashiach vet kummen - den mir alle vet gein tzi Eretz Yisroel" Translated, "When Mashiach will come, then we shall all go to Eretz Yisroel" This became a 'mantra' amongst Jews for generations. Like at the Seder table "L'Shono Haboh B'Yerushalyim" Next year in Jerusalem. Why next year? Why not go this year if one yearns for it so? But rather Yiddishkeit evolved in a 'cultural system' where true faith may have been somewhat lacking. The pre war Jew left it all in the hands of God to do or not to do. Whilst Emunah (faith) in Hashem is a requisite in Yiddishkeit, 'M'asit' (action) was lacking. Hashem works through us, we cannot sit back and just wait for Hashem to do all the work for us. Bottom line pre war Jewery of eastern Europe were so entrenched and felt safe in Golus (Diaspora). There was no motivation to move or seek, desire to live in Eretz Hakodesh as they so oftenly prayed for. 'Life was good' Move to 'Palestine' where we Jews have to fight and perhaps die for our land? No Thanks, I will wait for mashiach here in my Shtetel and every year sing L'Shono Haboh B'Yerushalyim whist my secular brothers can do all the fighting and dying. God says "My ways are not your ways". So you think your safe there in Europe? So you think paying me 'lip service' will do? Let me show you. If I have to bring about Kibbutz Galuyot (ingathering) the hard way - so be it. cont;-

Beware my fellow Jews for the same lesson may yet have to be repeated. Absurd! you say? So you think your still safe in Europe? Or you American Jews especially no doubt you have little desire to move from the comforts of your existence. How many of you have assimilated and lost your identity? Can you not compare yourselves with the Jews of Germany? They too felt safe. They too served in theyre hosts army and were decorated soldiers in WW1. They too assimilated and became as German as theyre neighbour. Don't you consider yourself as American as your neighbour? Beware my brothers and sisters. For we Jews have had every easy opportunity to move to Israel in over the last 50 years. But many have chosen not too. Do you not see the same pattern? Do you not think its possible that all Jews in New York say may God forbid be wiped out in a flash, a literal flash. Do you not know New York is the primary target for facist Islamists? Who think its the financial hub of America and by destroying that city they have brought America down. And yet even this terrible act maybe retribution by Hashem for feeling satisfied in your Golus. beware my fellow Yidden. Be not consoled by re-assurances of your Rabbonim. The pre war Kehillos also asked their Rabbonim and were all told to stay put - Hakodosh Baruch hu vet helffen. Only they too went with theyre flock into the gas chambers. I realise that much of what I have said may be hard to digeste. But thats the way I see it, hopefully I am wrong and know not Gods ways. Rebbitzen - I am second generation holcaust 'survivor' My family came from Kecskemet Hungary of whom very few survived. B'Shanah Haze B'Yerushalyim Volvi http://www.aish.com/components/feedbackTracking/comments.asp?aN=6407&pn=1&rpp=25

No human being can receive the title "His Holiness". It is a title that belongs only to G-D.

...and where was Pope Pius XII?

One of the fundamental questions of religion is "If G-d is omniscient, omnipotent, loving and just, why do evil things happen?" For a religious person, this question is the most natural one in the world when faced with evil on the monstrous scale of the Shoah. The question dives deeper into the nature of the gift of free will. Since free will is a gift, when and where does G-d interfere with its exercise, and when and where does He let the warring desires of free-willed people play themselves out? How does G-d's protection of the innocent work? Is it physical protection against evil acts, or spiritual protection against the spiritual consequences of those acts, or what? I'm not going to answer these questions :-p :-) What I *will* say is this: (1) I like #1 / #2's response :-) (2) To other posters: to react to the pope's question with anger and hatred of Germans or Catholics or popes is unfair, because it is clear from this man's life story that he does NOT blame G-d for the actions of monstrously evil men. He recognizes the evil and he has done just about everything in *his* power to bring Catholics and Jews closer together in order to prevent such evil from recurring in the future. Instead of REACTing, it would be more constructive to study our own religion and to think more deeply about what role G-d has in the world.

Looks like it takes slavery in Egypt or a Holocaust for Jews to set up a state in Israel and defend it.

It is an interesting question for the Pope to ask where was God in the Holocaust of WWII? I might add where was God in the slaughter of 800,000 Tutsis by the Hutus in Rwanda? We can ask the same question for all the other genocides in Cambodia, the Balkans, Sudan, the USA on 9/11... The fact is Satan and his demons exist in this world. They are the cause for all the human sufferings throughout the history of the human race. In the Book of Revelation, Satan is known as the Dragon, Abaddon or Apollyon or the Destroyer (Revelation 12:17; 9:11). These dark forces are also behind the "Little Horn" in the Book of Daniel and the "Beast" in the Book of Revelation that were responsible for the genocides during the Dark Ages, the Holocaust of WWII, Rwanda genocides, etc. In all these, you would find God through His people who sacrificed their lives saving their fellowmen. You would find God through those who rescued the Jews from the Gestapos. You would find God behind America and the Allied Forces who defeated the Nazis and Imperial Japan in WWII, and more recently, when they ended the Balkan War. You would find God through His people who came to rescue and help those suffered the attack on 9/11. Once again you will find God behind America when it leads the world to put an end to the genocides and sufferings of Africans in Darfur, Sudan. One day soon all these human sufferings will come to an end, when the Prince of Peace returns and destroys the dark forces once and for all (Revelation Chapter 12 to Chapter 22).

G-D was with us in Aushwitz. Where was man is the question? As per #11 We know where Martin Luther's writings and rantings were. And besides how about an answer for how you can believe that an Omnipotent would have sex with a married lady; that the Omniscient would kill his messiah before any salavation happened and that an Omnipresent would change his dictum.?

We know where G-d was. Where were you, Pope?

Where is God when kids get shot just cuz they happend to be pal? Mr. Pop I do not belive in ur god or any god for that matter. religion is for week people where they can find "peace" and conect with the "supper power" to save them. if you(God) can read this then change IDF boms to candey and make thier F16 planes disappear from our sky.

This is Arrogant Papal Nonsense....Of course the Prayers of the Inmates whether Jewish Christian or Atheist were Answered... The mainly Atheist Red Army Liberated this camp and went on to Liberate Berlin..... I do hope that Jews and others Give Thanks in their Prayers to these Liberators... and for the Terrible Sacrifices that the Red Army made in order that the inmates of these camps be made Free.

If it is undoubtedly true that Pius XII stayed incredibly silent during the holocaust, and if it is undoubtedly true that the roman catholic church has blood on its hands for centuries, the international community ( Including Bunnie meyer and linda rivera's america ) is responsible for the setting up of Nazi Germany. This responsability lays in in the fact that long before the " final solution " was decided and organized " as such in Wansee, persecutions had already been taking place for nearly 10 years and everyone knew it . The catholic church, the communists, homosexual communities were already singled out and sent to the very first camp set up by the nazi : Dachau. Obviously, the international community was more interested in " fighting" the widespreading of 1917 Russian revolution aftermath rather than protecting civil liberties and democracy , including in Germany. Hitler's gangsters , all the nazi dignitaries, all the supporters of Hitler's politics are indeed responsible directly for the Shoah, but the international community ( God has NOTHING to do with this) bears a tremendous responsability for its silence. History is written in such a way that if the Japanese had not attacked P.H, the USA would have probably not got involved into WW II. !