German fury at English insults against Pope
Germany’s popular press took a swipe at British counterparts today for their coverage of Pope Benedict XVI’s election, declaring in a banner front-page headline that “the English are insulting our pope!”
The Sun greeted Tuesday’s elevation of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger with the headline “From Hitler Youth to … Papa Ratzi.”
Germany’s mass-circulation Bild daily vented its outrage. “It is outrageous to reduce the German pope to a Hitler Youth on the day after his election,” it fumed.
Bild was also unimpressed by the Daily Mirror’s description of the new pope as “God’s Rottweiler” – a reference to Ratzinger’s previous job as the Vatican’s doctrinal watchdog.
“The world is celebrating our pope, and the British are making a stink,” it said.
The tabloid also vented about the British tabloids. “Where does such poison and envy come from?” it wondered.
Benedict has written openly about his time in the Hitler Youth as a teenager, which was compulsory under the Nazi regime.
He also was drafted into a German anti-aircraft unit during World War II as a teenage helper.
He was then called up for army service but deserted after basic training and was taken prisoner by US troops.
