Posted by Register Holy Land correspondent Michele Chabin:

In a New York Times forum, several prominent Jews weighed in on Pope Benedict’s speech at Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial earlier this week. Some Jews felt the speech was too impersonal, given that the Pope is German-born and, by his own admission, was a member of the Nazi Youth movement, if only on paper and only because he was forced to join.

Others defended the Pope by focusing not just on his words but on his actions.

Here are two differing opinions:

Daniel Gordis (senior vice president, the Shalem Center in Jerusalem): “The Pope’s mistake was that he assumed the role of diplomat rather than religious leader....READ MORE

Posted by Register Holy Land correspondent Michele Chabin:

Life can be rough in Bethlehem at times, but you couldn’t tell on Wednesday, the day Pope Benedict XVI arrived in the town where Jesus was born.

An estimated 10,000 pilgrims joyfully greeted the Holy Father in Manger Square, near the Church of the Nativity.

In contrast to the Mass the Pope celebrated the day before near Gethsemane, in Jerusalem, where pilgrims from overseas outnumbered local Catholics (many local Christians said they could not navigate the closed roads to reach the Mass), Bethlehem was full of Christians from the Bethlehem area and from Ramallah, another enclave of rich Palestinian Christian life and culture....READ MORE

Posted by Register Holy Land correspondent Michele Chabin:

The visit of the Holy Father to Israel is an exciting event here, but it’s also creating the Mother of All Traffic Jams.

Israeli security is massive, with an estimated 70,000 security personnel on Pope Watch. Always vigilant due to the threat of terrorism, and mindful of the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, the Israelis are taking no chances.

Police and paramilitary border police cordon off major roads and entire parts of the city every time the papal entourage goes from Point A to Point B, leaving ordinary Israelis stranded, sometimes for hours. This morning (Wednesday), Hebron road, a very major thoroughfare...READ MORE

Posted by Register Holy Land correspondent Michele Chabin:

The papal Mass held Tuesday in the Garden of Gethsemane was tiny compared to most other papal Masses.

Only 2,000 to 3,000 worshipers gathered in the beautiful valley below the imposing golden walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, but the crowd was filled with spirit.

Indigenous Palestinian Christians, known as the Living Stones of the Church, stood alongside Israel-based caretakers from the Philippines, humanitarian aid workers from Europe, the U.S. and South America, Sudanese refugees who have found refuge in Israel, as well as some of the 15,000 pilgrims who are reportedly accompanying Pope Benedict XVI on his Holy Land...READ MORE

Posted by Register Holy Land correspondent Michele Chabin:

Israeli officials, like their Jordanian and Palestinian counterparts, are hoping that Pope Benedict’s weeklong pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which began last Friday, will provide a major tourism boost to the troubled region.

Hours before the Pope touched down at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport today, Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov called on “the Christian world, and especially the Catholic world, to come to the Holy Land as pilgrims. We are ready to receive you, to offer you various touring packages.”

Reiterating the words of Pope John Paul II, the tourism minister called on all Christians “to visit the Holy...READ MORE

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Have you noticed the tabs at the top of the screen? You see them in the image above. They are your key to unique freebies.

The ones in yellow guide you to different sections of the print edition of the newspaper. The orange ones on the top guide you to different sections of the website.

If you click on the one that says Resources you’ll find lots of free stuff, including:

The Catholic College Identity College Guide, giving respondents’ answers to our Catholic identity questions.

The Top 100 Catholic Movies List (I go there often to plan the Hoopes family’s Catholic Movie Night).

The How to Be Catholic Guides, aids to evangelization you can print out.

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