The Pope has ended his tour of the Middle East by roundly condeming the Holocaust as a “brutal extermination.”

Earlier the Pontiff had been heavily criticised for not speaking out against the genocide of World War 2 during a recent visit to Israel’s Holocaust memorial . Now this statement should appease his critics: Referring to the memorial visit he said: “Those deeply moving encounters brought back memories of my visit three years ago to the death camp at Auschwitz, where so many Jews —mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends — were brutally exterminated under a godless regime that propagated an ideology of anti-Semitism and hatred. “That appalling chapter of history must never be forgotten or denied.” The Pope’s eight day tour of Jordan, Israel and Palestinian territories has been largely judged a success. Palestinians were much pleased with the Pope. He told them almost everything they were hoping to hear – even calling for an independent Palestinian state and lifting the embargo on Gaza.More about: Benedict XVI, Israel, Religion

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