SLANDER AGAINST POPE PIUS XII

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VATICAN CITY, MAR 19, 1998 (ZENIT) - The media and various spokesmen of the Jewish community, while admitting that the Vatican document on the "Shoah" (see ZW980318-1) is a decisive step forward in relations between Jews and Catholics, have complained about the Vatican's defense of the role played by Pope Pius XII during the Nazi atrocities.

In response to these accusations, "La Civilt` Cattolica," a magazine directed by the Jesuits and reviewed by the Vatican Secretary of State, published an article by Fr. Pierre Blet, the last surviving member of the team that compiled the twelve-volume "Acts and Documents of the Holy See Regarding the Second World War." This monumental work is a compendium of all Vatican documents written during the time period, except for those that specifically addressed personal matters of people still living.

Fr. Blet points out that Until 1963 all the major figures of the period, especially Jewish leaders, were united in recognizing the work of Pius XII for the Jewish people. They declared that the Pope's "silence" sprang from his knowledge of Nazism, acquired when he had been Nuncio, or papal ambassador, in Germany, and supplemented by the information constantly streaming in from the European nunciatures. He knew that publicly speaking against Hitler's purges would only have aggravated the F|hrer's anger and accelerated the Nazi efforts to exterminate the Jews, a concern borne out by the martyrdom of Edith Stein shortly after the Dutch Bishops denounced Hitler.

The history scholar cites some examples of testimonies in favor of the Pope pronounced after his death in 1958 "The world," declared U.S. President Eisenhower, "is now poorer after the death of Pope Pius XII." Golda Meir, Israel's then Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated, "Life in our times has been enriched by a voice that expressed the great moral truths from above the daily conflicts. We mourn a great servant of peace."

Nonetheless, since 1963, a "black legend" has arisen against Pius XII. According to "La Civilt` Cattolica," these accusations affirm that "during the war, due to political calculations or weakness, the Pope remained impassive and silent before the crimes against humanity, which he could have stopped by his intervention."

The rest of the article is a scientific defense of the work involved in collecting the documentation of the "Acts and Documents of the Holy See Regarding the Second World War." The extraordinary effort of the Pope in favor of the Jewish people is also highlighted. When the SS demanded that the Jewish communities of Rome surrender 50 kilograms of gold (about 110 lbs.) as a kind of self-ransom, Rome's chief rabbi went to the Pope to ask for 15 kg. "Pius XII immediately gave an order to his offices to do what was necessary to obtain that amount," writes Fr. Blet. Acts such as these fill the twelve volumes of the work.

Neither can the Holy See cannot be accused of hiding documents, since copies of many of them are already in the "Foreign Office" of London or the "Dipartement d'Etat" in Paris and, as a result, this collection is historically complete. Fr. Blet has even gone so far as to affirm that when the moment arrives to fully open these Vatican archives (that is, several years after the deaths of all involved), many people will be disappointed, since all the important information has already been published. Although it is not explicitly mentioned in the article, the date 1963 refers to the performance of a German theatrical work that established the "case" against Pius XII. The play, "Der Stellvertreter" [The Deputy], was written by Rolf Hochhuth and is the first known condemnation of the Pope for having been silent during the Holocaust. Due to the allegations brought about by "The Deputy," Pope Paul VI opened the secret archives of the Vatican and asked four historians, including Fr. Blet, to publish all publishable information.

Before this, the press had always published statements in favor of the Pope, whose pontificate lasted from 1939 to 1958. For example, Time Magazine published an article signed by Albert Einstein, thanking the Pope for his efforts.

In reaction to the recent Vatican document, several prominent Italian Jewish Leaders have expressed there gratitude towards Pius XII and acknowledged his active role in saving the lives of thousands of their compatriots. Massimo Caviglia, director of the Magazine "Shalom," the most popular Italian Jewish magazine, asserted that Pope XII "helped the Jews privately, giving them asylum in Church structures. My parents were saved by finding refuge in a convent. I think Pius XII could only have acted as he did. He knew that if he had taken an official position against Hitler, the persecutions would have also been directed at Catholics."

-- ZENIT (kronos@pronet.it), March 25, 1998

Answers

Excellent article. On the surface one could assume that the Church did very little during the war, as we see in the criticisms of Pius XII. The truth is that the Vatican was the SINGLE MOST SUCCESSFUL agent in getting Jews to safe havens and out of the country.

See, it helps to dig deeper before making rash assumptions.

-- Connie Ostlund (sorka@teleport.com), March 26, 1998.


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