Israeli President Shimon Peres
urged the Vatican on Sunday not to let a contentious reference to World War II Pope Pius XII put off a visit to the Holy Land by the present pontiff.
| Wartime Pope |
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| Pope snubs Israel over Yad Vashem inscription / Anat Shalev |
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As Vatican fights for beatification of WWII pope, cardinal announces Holy See won't visit Israel until inscription asserting Pius XII ignored Holocaust during war is removed |
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A caption accompanying a photograph on display at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial alleges the wartime Pope did not act to save Jews from the Nazi genocide.
A Catholic official promoting the cause which could lead to sainthood for Pius said the caption was an obstacle to a visit by Pope Benedict XVI, but a spokesman for Benedict said that the spat is not standing in the way of a visit.
Peres told reporters that the issue should not be a barrier.
"The visit to the holy country (has) nothing to do with anger or disputes," Peres said. "It's holy all the time, it's holy for all of us."
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