The German born pope, Pope Benedict XVI, was known to be different from the previous pope, John Paul II in that he was more disciplined, known to be more rigid in his beliefs, and pretty soon he had shown how he could stoke controversy. In one sermon, he declared words against Prophet Mohammed, the person who is revered in Islam as the conveyor of God’s words, something that led to wide-spread resentment in the Islamic word. And now, he seems to be acting in a way that is sure to raise the hackles of Jews the world over. In seeking to bring about a settlement with a sect that has been separate since 1970, he has taken in a Bishop who doubts the Holocaust, and denies that Jews were ever gassed in death chambers.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the Vatican’s clarifications over the readmission of a bishop who queries the Holocaust do not go far enough. “In my opinion these clarifications are not yet sufficient,” Mrs Merkel said. A row erupted last month after Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication of Bishop Richard Williamson, who had said no Nazi gas chambers existed.

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