APOLOGY MISSING DETAILS, SOME SAY.

Byline: Donna Huffaker, Orith Goldberg and Elizabeth Rodriguez Staff Writers

Apologizing for the Catholic Church's sins of the past is one more reason why Pope John Paul II stands out among history's pontiffs, local Catholics and religious officials said Sunday.

And while the general consensus supports the pope's landmark statements during Mass at St. Peter's Basilica, Jewish leaders question the apology's lack of specificity and believe the Holocaust should have been mentioned.

``The central reason to have included the Holocaust is because otherwise the average person may say that the pope is talking about yesteryear, the Inquisition or the Crusades,'' said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Hier believes the pope's apology was unprecedented and a bold and important step forward, he said, but it would have been more significant if he had made reference to the Nazi Holocaust.

Perhaps not mentioning the Holocaust was a deliberate move, he said, given the controversy surrounding Pope Pius XII, who was pope during the Nazi era and is now a candidate for sainthood.

``Many historians, including Catholics, believe that Pope Pius XII does not deserve to be sainted because he was absolutely silent about the Holocaust and never tried to take on Adolf Hitler,'' Hier said.

To this, Monsignor John Naughton of St. Mel Catholic Church in Woodland Hills said Pope Pius XII did as good a job as he could do.

Naughton pointed out that during World War II, hundreds of Catholics, including nuns, took in Jewish families and gave them refuge.

``None of us is perfect. We all make mistakes, and the pope is trying to mend fences. Saying I'm sorry is always a good thing,'' he said.

The first Sunday in Lent, a period of repentance for Christians, was the perfect time to make such statements, said the Rev. Alden J. Sison, pastor of Our Lady of the Valley church in Canoga Park.

``I hope that people will hear the apology from the Holy Father and look on the Catholic Church with a positive light,'' Sison said.

Nancy Firestein of St. Joseph the Worker Church in Winnetka, who said she converted from Judaism to Catholicism eight years ago, was deeply moved by the pope's apology.

``It helps me explain to others how the church is changing and moving forward. I think it is very positive,'' she said.

The bottom line is the church is taking strides and acknowledging that Jews have been wronged, said Earl Greinetz, president of the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging.

``You are not going to bring back the 6 million Jews, and you won't erase the horrors,'' he said.

Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Lea Purwin D'Agostino agreed that a statement encompassing the magnitude of the Holocaust would have been appreciated, but also reflected on what a positive gesture the pope was making on behalf of Jews. D'Agostino, who is also running for city attorney of Los Angeles, surmised that perhaps the pope issued the statement as a testament to his sense of obligation toward those who have been wronged.

``I have a feeling that perhaps he knows the end is near and perhaps he wants, in his own way, to atone and make peace with his own God,'' D'Agostino said.

Rabbi William Gordon of the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging also welcomed the pope's apology.

``I would have liked it if he had mentioned more, but let us hope (the Holocaust) never happens again and let us continue to work together for the common good of all people,'' Gordon said.

Outside St. Joseph the Worker Church, Jon Titmus said the statements Sunday were wonderful.

``It was a hard thing to do. It could have been done before, but it's the year 2000, it's a good place to start and renew and reconcile,'' the Reseda resident said.