Cologne, Germany - A leader of Cologne's Jewish community on Friday urged Pope Benedict to open up the Vatican archives of the World War Two period.
Abraham Lehrer made the request to the Pope during a speech welcoming the pontiff to Cologne's synagogue, which was destroyed by the Nazis in 1938 and rebuilt after the war.
"For us, a complete opening of the Vatican archives covering the period of World War Two, sixty years after the end of the Shoah (Holocaust), would be a further sign of historical conscience and would also satisfy critics," he told the Pope.
Jewish groups have been demanding a complete opening of the archives, saying this could help shed more light on the position of wartime Pope Pius XII, who reigned from 1939 to 1958.
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Many Jews say Pius turned a blind eye to the Holocaust.
The Vatican rejects the accusations. It says Pius worked behind the scenes to save Jews and did not speak out more forcefully for fear of instigating Nazi reprisals in Europe.
The Vatican archives have only been partially opened so far.
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