Looks like sex abuse victims aren't the only people who have issues with the Pope. Sometimes I, Scanner Katie, don't understand my Semitic brothers and sisters. Apparently some of them were upset that the Pope didn't pencil in any Jew-Pope meet-ups during his trip to the U.S. So Ratzinger added them in and agreed to address some synagogues. Then some Jews got annoyed because his Friday night visit doesn't really jive with their Shabbat schedule. And, as if this wasn't bad enough, tomorrow Passover starts, which makes Pope Jew quality time impossible. What I don't get is why Jews are freaking out over not getting QT with a Pope who was in Hitler Youth.
Yes, the Pope joined the Hitler Youth movement. Now, I'm not a historical revisionist and I don't blame Ratzinger for not joining the German resistance. I can't say that I would have risked my life at age 14 and refused to join Hitler's compulsory youth movement. (I mean, I'm Jewish, so I wouldn't have had to make that difficult choice-- thank God for small favors.) But I was surprised that the Pope's Nazi past wasn't a bigger deal for the Vatican or the Jews, who are getting so upset about the Pope's tour. I guess I thought the Vatican, which doesn't have the most stellar Holocaust record in the first place. would have chosen one of the 17 Papal candidates whose resume didn't include Hitler Youth activities. But in all fairness, as the Pope explains, he never so much as lifted a gun because of his "infected finger," an excuse which makes Clinton's "I didn't inhale" disclaimer seem totally legitimate.