Vatican spokesman responds to Merkel criticism of Pope

February 04, 2009

The Vatican's chief spokesman has rejected recent criticism of Pope Benedict XVI by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, issued a statement insisting that the Pope's "condemnation of Holocaust denial could not have been clearer." He cited remarks made by Pope Benedict on January 28, as well as the Pontiff's remarks during an August 2005 to the synagogue in Cologne and a May 2006 visit to the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.

 

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Further information:

• Pope's condemnation of Holocaust denial is clear (VIS)
• Vatican rebuts Merkel's criticism over holocaust denier (Deutsche Welle)
• German Chancellor Merkel says Pope must reject Holocaust denial (CWN, Feb. 3)