defends him and is gradually opening its archives in an effort to show that he acted behind the scenes . Franco gave the news of Pope Benedict 's visit to Yad Vashem at a news conference in Jerusalem . Pope John Paul II also did not visit the museum section on his historic pilgrimage to Israel in 2000 , Father Federico Lombardi , a papal spokesman , said as he confirmed that Pope Benedict will not do so . An official with Israel 's Foreign Ministry said the decision was made jointly because of the sensitivity of the matter . Yigal Palmor conceded that there is an argument over the wartime pope 's actions during the Holocaust and noted that the museum has a sign stating that the facts are in dispute . He said that Pope Benedict may visit other parts of the Yad Vashem complex , which is divided into several compounds , and that the pontiff will lay a wreath at the site 's Hall of Remembrance , which is part of the protocol for visiting heads of state . The announcement that Pope Benedict will visit only part of Yad Vashem also follows international outrage over
JERUSALEM -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pope Benedict XVI will not visit Israel 's Holocaust museum when he makes his first trip to the region as pope in May , though he will visit a memorial that is part of the site , his ambassador to Israel said Tuesday . Pope Benedict XVI , shown at the Vatican during a prayer Sunday , has spoken out forcefully against the Holocaust . He will also become the first pontiff to visit the Dome of the Rock , one of the holiest sites in Islam , said the envoy , papal nuncio Antonio Franco . Foreign heads of state normally visit the Holocaust museum , which is part of the Yad Vashem complex in Jerusalem . But it includes controversial wording describing the role of Pope Pius XII during World War II , which is why Pope Benedict balked , an Israeli official said . Critics have accused Pope Pius of doing too little to prevent the mass murder of European Jews by the Nazis under Adolf Hitler . A caption in the museum says he maintained a neutral position during the years of mass extermination of Europe 's Jews . The Vatican