Meeting with Jewish leaders yesterday, Pope Benedict re-affirmed the Catholic Church is "profoundly and irrevocably committed to reject all anti-Semitism."
Associated Press reports the Vatican scheduled the pope's audience with about 60 American Jewish leaders Thursday after Benedict lifted the excommunication of SSPX Bishop Richard Williamson.
Issuing his strongest condemnation of Holocaust denial yet, Benedict affirmed the Catholic Church was "profoundly and irrevocably committed to reject all anti-Semitism."
"The hatred and contempt for men, women and children that was manifested in the Shoah was a crime against God and against humanity," Benedict said, using the Hebrew term for the Holocaust. "This should be clear to everyone, especially to those standing in the tradition of the Holy Scriptures."
"It is beyond question that any denial or minimisation of this terrible crime is intolerable and altogether unacceptable," he said during the meeting in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.
Jewish leaders applauded his comments, saying the crisis with the Church that had been sparked by Bishop Richard Williamson's comments was over.
The Vatican also confirmed that Pope Benedict's planned visit to Israel in May will go ahead.
Earlier, World Jewish leaders told Vatican officials that denying the Holocaust was "not an opinion but a crime" when they met on Monday, Reuters reports.
"Today we strongly reaffirmed the denial of the Shoah is not an opinion, but a crime," said Richard Prasquier, president of the French Jewish umbrella organisation CRIF, using the Hebrew word for Holocaust.
Prasquier and Maram Stern, deputy secretary of the World Jewish Congress, held talks with Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Vatican office that handles religious relations with Jews.
"We want the Vatican to realise that by accommodating anti-Semites like Williamson, the achievements of four decades of Catholic-Jewish dialogue ... will be put into doubt," WJC President Ronald Lauder said in a statement.
"We now believe that our message has been understood. The controversial debate of the past three weeks has had a positive impact," said Lauder, who did not attend the meetings.
The Vatican has also said the SSPX must accept all Council teachings before they can be fully re-admitted into the Church.
SOURCE
Pope tells Jews Holocaust denial unacceptable (Associated Press)
Pope tells Jews Holocaust denial is "intolerable" (Reuters)
World Jewish leaders tell Vatican Holocaust denial is a crime (Haaretz)
Jews tell Vatican Holocaust denial is a crime (Euractiv)