Papa Ratzi a Nazi?

Demonizing political leaders as Nazis seems to be the latest weapon the loony left has taken from its arsenal. President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft have seemed to be the favored targets, yet amazingly, the new Pope Benedict is now the recipient. I have not found an example from a reputable segment of the media, such as newspapers, television shows, etcetera, which have actually written "The Pope is a Nazi", but instead the word "Nazi" is typically found in a headline and upon further reading, one learns only of Joseph Ratzinger's encounters with the movement during his youth in Germany. Whatever group is the instigator of this slime job, whether leftists, liberals, Democrats, Jews, Israelis or just plain Christophobes, it is a grave error in judgment. Each day there are fewer and fewer survivors from the terrible times when the real Nazis terrorized the western world. Fewer and fewer people will be alive to testify to the real horror of the Third Reich. To the young people of today, World War II is ancient history; almost as far back as the Civil War was, when I was growing up. Describing such a saintly man as Pope Benedict XVI as a Nazi, teaches a false history lesson to those youngsters. How bad could the Nazis have really been, when we all know that Pope Benedict has not harmed a living soul in his entire life? If Leftists teach that Nazis were as evil as George Bush, just how evil will the next generation believe that the Nazis really were?

For the record, Joseph Ratzinger , as far as I have discovered, is linked to the Nazi Party only by being a German subject in Germany at the time of the Third Reich, being required, under threat, to join a Hitler Youth Group, and being conscripted, twice I believe, into the German army. He was part of the very young men who were used essentially as canon fodder. The young Ratzinger deserted the Army and returned to his home village, knowing that the penalty for his crime was death. Fortunately, he was captured by the Americans, and when the war was over, he returned to the seminary. That is the extent of the Pope's connection to Nazism, and for that he is being unjustly labeled as a Nazi.

Commentary: Benedict abused as 'nazi pope'

The Hedgehog Report has a post: Liberals Call Pope Benedict XVI A Nazi

I have not been to Daily Kos in a while, but I went earlier this afternoon and it seems like every other diary on the site refers to Pope Benedict XVI as a Nazi. In fact, there is this diary that actually demands that liberals call him the Nazi Pope. If you think I am cherry picking off of Daily Kos, you can find other Pope Benedict XVI=Nazi diaries here, here, and here. And that does not even include the numerous references to Pope Benedict XVI as the Nazi pope in comments of other diaries.

Here is a typical post from the liberal blogs, this one the best known of all, Daily KOS. In addition, the Daily KOS blog has a poll asking "Should we call Ratzinger Nazi Pope?"

"Is Ratzinger still a Nazi?by hillarious
Tue Apr 19th, 2005 at 14:32:11 PDT

There's heated debate about whether it's appropriate to call Ratzinger the Nazi Pope. It is not clear he's still influenced by the Nazi teaching during his childhood, however, it is clear he was in the Nazi Youth Camp and he is notoriously ultraconversative.

I'm pretty tired of hearing people say we should not question his past, and he was just a child etc. Yes, he was a child, but we're talking about the spiritual leader of Catholics. What is wrong to hold him to high standard? Why can't they choose another cardinal with better image? If he didn't have the courage to resist joining Nazi Youth Camp, probably we should not expect him to be the leader as well.

I will call him Nazi Pope, plain and simple, for his past, more importantly, for his current facist doctrine."

The following are links to MSN sites:

NAZI PAST HAUNTING CARDINAL, (NY Post)

Pope's Nazi past, (MSNBC)

Unease about new pope rooted in his German past, (Seattle News)

Where the Pope's From, Pride Still Seems a Sin, (NY Times)

Papal hopeful is a former Hitler Youth (Times Online)

THE GERMAN POPE - England Fumes over Selection of "Papa Ratzi"