we're joined by kim lawton for the public television program religion and ethics "newsweenew.he pope said to catholic churches in rome, no one should be providing a funeral mass for the convicted nazi war criminal who just passed away. why is this signature? >> this was just another indication of the vastly improved relations between the jewish community and the cath catholic church. there have been a lot of questions about the catholic church's role in how much it did to help jews during the hollow cast, it's a sensitive issue between catholics and jews. it's a symbolic gesture to say the catholic church was supportive of the jewish community, understood the concerns and did not want to add to the concerns. symbolic gesture. >> last month the president of the world jewish council met with the pope and after the meeting he said, quote, in the past 2,000 years ties between the catholic church and jews had never been this good. this is a long process in the making, right? >> a very long process. i mean, for 2000 year that was a big issue of the catholic church blaming all jews f