Catholic World News News Feature

Pope meets group from Simon Wiesenthal Center December 01, 2003

Pope John Paul II met on December 1 with a delegation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Paris, an organization devoted to preserving the memory of the Holocaust.

After thanking his visitors for their best wishes-- which they expressed on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his papal election-- the Holy Father said: "In these difficult times, let us pray that all peoples everywhere will be strengthened in their commitment to mutual understanding, reconciliation, and peace."

The delegation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center was headed by Rabbi Marvin Hier, who has frequently been a harsh critic of the Catholic Church. Rabbi Hier-- who has charged that Pope Pius XII ignored the Holocaust, and has bitterly protested the erection of a cross at a Carmelite convent near Auschwitz-- told reporters before the meeting that he wished to speak with the Pope about anti-Semitism and international terrorism.