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Pope Benedict XVI is the first pontiff in nearly 25 years to visit the Grand Synagogue of Rome.  The media is widely reporting the move as an attempt to heal old wounds between the Jewish and Catholic religions.

We’re looking at reactions from BBC News, RomeReports.com, The Wall Street Journal, and others.

First up, a look at why this visit is unique, from RomeReports.com and New Tang Dynasty TV.

RomeReports.com: “Pope John Paul II made history in 1986 when he visited the synagogue of Rome. Pope Benedict has visited synagogues in the past. In 2005 he visited the synagogue in Cologne, Germany, and in 2008 he visited one in New York City. But this will be his first visit to the Rome congregation.”

New Tang Dynasty TV: “The Rome temple is the spiritual home of the world’s oldest Jewish community outside Israel, and is significant in religious dialogue because of its proximity to the Vatican.”

Pope Benedict’s visit comes at a time of reportedly heightened tensions between the Catholic and Jewish communities.

NPR suggests Rome’s Jewish community is particularly sensitive because of the memory of Pope Paul IV, who in the 1500s treated Jews in Rome as inferior to Christians.

“He ordered all Jews in the Rome region be restricted to the eight-acre ghetto. Jews were not allowed to pursue education or practice professions, and could leave the ghetto only between sunrise and sunset.”

And BBC News says Pope Benedict’s support of a different predecessor is a more recent source of Jewish anger towards the Catholic Church.

“Pius XII—pope during World War II. Many Jews believe he didn’t do enough to speak out against Holocaust. But Pope Benedict is stepping ahead with moves to canonize Pius, to make him a saint for his devotion to his calling. For many Jews sainthood is misguided and should be reconsidered.”

That alone was enough for at least one high-profile rabbi to boycott the pope’s visit.  But The Wall Street Journal points out Pope Benedict showed sensitivity to that concern.

“For his part Benedict denouncing anti-Semitism recalling the suffering of the Jewish people both here in Rome and elsewhere. It was a very powerful speech by Benedict. He was saying the Holocaust seemed like the extreme point of human hatred.”

Finally, in a Politics Daily blog, a contributor says the mainstream media got this story all wrong.

“The real spirit of the Benedict’s visit and his encounter with the chief Rabbi was not one of recrimination but of furthering dialogue, though most major news outlets were too busy waving the red flag of WWII and Pope Pius XII to see that.”

So what’s the real story here? What do you think the pope’s visit to the synagogue in Rome means?

Writer: Newsy Staff

Producer: Nathan Giannini