The German Pope in Poland

For those who have been hearing Pope Benedict's constant references to his beloved predecessor it came as no surprise that the Pope chose Poland as the first country to visit since he was elected in April 2005. His esteem, almost reverence, for John Paul II, has been there for all to see.

Yet the Poles do not harbour any great love for the Germans. Memories of the last war, even after more than 60 years, are still fresh in the Polish people's minds. After all it was the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939 which sparked off World War II and the atrocities which followed.

So it was indeed a brave and wise decision by the German Pope to go on an official, pastoral visit to the country and meet the people who had suffered so much under the Nazi occupation. Sixty-six years ago, the young Joseph Ratzinger was forced to join the Hitler Youth and later, during the war, was conscripted into the German Army, serving on an anti-aircraft battery until 1945, when he deserted during the final chaotic days in Germany before it surrendered. So he could not but be associated with Nazi Germany.

Pope Benedict's visit to Poland was of course a pastoral one meant to strengthen the people's Catholic faith. He urged the huge crowds to "cultivate the rich heritage of faith transmitted to you by earlier generations, the heritage of the thought and service of that great Pole who was John Paul II... Stand firm in your faith, hand it down to your children..." Benedict also urged Catholic movements and religious orders "to proclaim their faith openly and have confidence in the Church's capacity to nourish and support their mission".

He had words of praise and encouragement for the 6,400 seminarians (almost one third of Europe's total number of students preparing for the priesthood). Benedict XVI also met members of Poland's ecumenical council and encouraged them to keep working for unity among the people and faiths they represented. Although the vast majority of Poles (95 per cent) are Catholic, there are also a minority of Orthodox, Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists and "Old Catholic" communities.

Not surprisingly, it was the Pope's visit to Auschwitz which most attracted the world media's attention. At his own request, he was not driven to the infamous concentration camp but chose to walk as the prisoners had to walk. Although it was not his first visit to the camp (he had gone there twice, in 1979 and in 1988), Pope Benedict was seen to be deeply moved at the site where no fewer than 1.5 million Jews and others were exterminated.

"To speak in this place of horror... where unprecedented mass crimes were committed against God and man, is almost impossible, and it is particularly difficult for a Christian, for a Pope from Germany," he said. He added that he had gone there also "as a son of the German people... For this very reason... I could not fail to come here".

Fittingly he invoked the psalms and prayers which both Jews and Christians would have said at the camp. "The words of Psalm 44 come to mind," he said. "Israel's lament for her woes... 'Why did you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever! Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and our oppression?'"

The aim of the visit to Auschwitz was not to apologise for the atrocities committed by the Germans. He had no mandate to do so. He went there to speak of suffering which humanity had, and will continue, to endure.

Referring to the victims he said that now they "stand before us like lights shining in a dark night". Although the visit to Auschwitz and the Pope's references to the atrocities committed could not but be interpreted as a condemnation of these atrocities, there were some who expected more from the German Pope. They said that he was not explicit enough in his condemnation of the Nazi crimes. Neither did he condemn, they said, anti-semitism which many Catholics and other Christians have been guilty of. This notwithstanding, there are others who believe that Pope Benedict's visit to Auschwitz marked a turning point in Catholic-Jewish relations.

No doubt the Pope's visit to the former concentration camp cannot but help make us all aware of the cruelty and sufferings which man throughout the ages has inflicted (and still does) on fellow human beings. If only we could put into practice the commandment of the most famous Jew in history, to love our neighbour - whatever his/her faith, race, colour and political convictions - as we love ourselves...