Pope misses memorial to Jewish uprising on first day of visit

The Times of London
Pope misses memorial to Jewish uprising on first day of visit
by Roger Boyes

Pope Benedict XVI upset the Jewish community in Poland yesterday by not stopping to pay tribute to the victims of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising against the Nazis.

The heavily guarded Popemobile sped from Warsaw airport towards the Old Town district and the former ghetto area but barely slowed when it passed the memorial to the Jewish fighters. Michael Schudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Warsaw, the Israeli Ambassador and a handful of Jewish dignitaries were left standing as the Pope flashed past with a wave.

Church officials said there had been no space in the schedule for a spontaneous stop. Another consideration is that the ultra-nationalist Polish Government might have considered it a slight if the Pope had singled out slaughtered Jews rather than Polish partisans for special tribute on the first day of his visit.

Thousands of Poles, mostly young, lined the streets to cheer and wave flags to welcome the Pope.