According to a Reuters article, while walking in the footsteps of John Paul II, he went to Auschwitz. While there he prayed silently and greeted some survivors, one of whom is Jewish.
The Pope:
prayed at the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz on Sunday and asked why God was silent when 1.5 million victims, mostly Jews, died in this "valley of darkness."
"In a place like this, words fail. In the end, there can only be a dread silence, a silence which is a heartfelt cry to God -- Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?"
"Where was God in those days? Why was he silent? How could he permit this endless slaughter, this triumph of evil?"
As we sit on memorial day weekend, I must thank the Pope for this action. While he has been there before, he was there today as the Pope. The fact that he is German and was forced to join the Hitler Youth add to the impact of the moment. Let us not forget, not only the people, of all faiths, who died there, but the people who died liberating this horrible place. Let us thank the man for taking this stand in the same week that a madman in Iran denies that the horrid event even took place.
I also ask the Popes forgiveness for the unkind words I have said.