In the midst of loud protests and thinner crowds than those that turned out for John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom in 1982, Pope Benedict compared modern U.K. atheism with the rise of Nazi Germany — warning against "aggressive secularism," according to a report in the U.K.'s Mirror.
In his opening address to the Queen at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the Pope spoke of "a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society," according to a BBC report.
"Even in our own lifetimes, we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live," he said.
"As we reflect on the sobering lessons of atheist extremism of the 20th century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus a reductive vision of a person and his destiny," the Pontiff added.
The British Humanist Association was quick to respond to the Pope's remarks, noting in a statement: “The notion that it was the atheism of Nazis that led to their extremist and hateful views or that it somehow fuels intolerance in Britain today is a terrible libel against those who do not believe in God.
“The notion that it is nonreligious people in the U.K. today who want to force their views on others, coming from a man whose organization exerts itself internationally to impose its narrow and exclusive form of morality and undermine the human rights of women, children, gay people, and many others, is surreal.”
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