The scandal over Williamson has dampened Israeli enthusiasm about the visit of the pope

The Pope's middle east trip is one of the most politically sensitive he has undertaken. Some of his past remarks have prompted controversy and criticism from both Muslims AND Jews -- most recently in the wake of a scandal over a bishop who has denied the Holocaust. In his first speech on Israeli soil, the Pope was at pains to roundly condemn anti-Semitism. But the scandal over Williamson has somewhat dampened Israeli enthusiasm about the visit.