In what will be seen as a significant step in Christian-Jewish relations, Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Synagogue of Rome on 17 January 2010, the Vatican has announced.

The New York-based International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC) has welcomed the Vatican's call for a Holocaust denying renegade bishop to disown his reported views.

An Israeli Jewish leader has welcomed Pope Benedict's support for a statement condemning Holocaust denial, but a German leader says the issue of the reinstatement of an anti-Semitic bishop is not resolved.

Pope Benedict says he has full solidarity with Jewish people and warns against Holocaust denial, following outrage at his reinstatement of an excommunicated bishop who says there were no gas chambers.

The Pope has offered prayers for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which begins today, focusing on Christian-Jewish relations.