Pope Benedict XVI continued his week-long pilgrimage to the Holy Land Tuesday, while critics lambasted him for a too-soft speech he gave on the horrors of the Holocaust at Israel's national memorial the day before.
The Pope arrived in Israel on Monday, for the final part of a Middle East trip that is intended to build interfaith relations. Instead, the visit has so far managed to raise several minor controversies.
When Pope Benedict landed at Israel's airport Monday morning, he told the people who welcomed him that he wanted to see peace between Israel and Palestine -- something he said could be achieved by having an independent Palestine.
Later that day, he visited Yad Vashem, Israel's national Holocaust memorial, meeting with six elderly survivors and helping to rekindle the eternal flame at the site.
Pope Benedict told an audience at the memorial that the millions of Jews who died "lost their lives, but they will never lose their names."
But when the German-born Pope did not make explicit mention of the words "murder" or "Nazis" in his speech, Yad Vashem's top two officials criticized his words moments after he stopped speaking.
By Tuesday, the storm of criticism against the Pope's speech had grown in the country where 200,000 Holocaust survivors make their home.
"The pope spoke like a historian, as somebody observing from the sidelines, about things that shouldn't happen. But what can you do? He was part of them," said Israeli parliament speaker Reuven Rivlin.
Israeli newspaper columnist Tom Segev said that "one would have expected the Vatican's cardinals to prepare a more intelligent text for their boss."
Pope Benedict has long been criticized over the fact he was a member of the Hitler Youth, something he said he was forced into as a youngster.
Vatican spokesperson Rev. Federico Lombardi said the pope has spoken about his German background on previous occasions and "can't mention everything every time he speaks."
The Pope has also faced criticism for overturning the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop earlier this year, and for considering making Pius XII, the Second World War pontiff, a saint.
On Tuesday, the Pope visited the Dome of the Rock, the site where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
Before entering the mosque at the site, Pope Benedict slipped off his shoes, as is custom.
He also visited the adjacent Western Wall, the last remnant of the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
While at the Western Wall, Pope Benedict followed tradition and left a note in the wall.
His note asked for "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" to "hear the cry of the afflicted, the fearful, the bereft; send your peace upon this Holy Land, upon the Middle East, upon the entire human family."
Pope Benedict was also presented with a book, which Israel TV identified as "Touching the Stone of our Heritage."
It was during this trip on Tuesday that the Pope reiterated his message from the day before, in which he hoped for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
And he urged the two sides to engage in "a sincere dialogue aimed at building a world of justice and peace."
In Jerusalem, the Pope met with the city's top Islamic cleric, Grand Mufti Mohammed Hussein.
"In a world sadly torn by divisions, this sacred place serves as a stimulus, and also challenges men and women of goodwill to work to overcome misunderstandings and conflicts of the past and set out on the path of a sincere dialogue aimed at building a world of justice and peace for coming generations," he said during the meeting.
The statement echoed remarks Pope Benedict made during his first day in Israel, the day before, when he called on those involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to "explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstanding difficulties," including the creation of an independent Palestinian homeland.
Later Tuesday, the Pope celebrated Mass with several thousand followers, at a spot where Jesus is believed to have prayed with his disciples before his arrest.
At that service, he let his fellow Christians know they were "not forgotten," despite their dwindling numbers in the Holy Land.
With files from The Associated Press
