Catholics, Jews Unite To Attack Scholar's Latest, Goldhagen Stirring Ire With Article on Pius XII

Participants in a troubled Jewish-Catholic dialogue found a rare point of agreement this week in their criticism of an article by historian Daniel Goldhagen that attacks the behavior of Pope Pius XII during World War II and raises the question of the church's responsibility for the Holocaust.

In a lengthy article, "What Would Jesus Have Done? Pope Pius XII, the Catholic Church and the Holocaust," published this week in The New Republic magazine, Mr. Goldhagen charges that Pope Pius XII was an anti-Semite and a collaborator with Nazi Germany. Moreover, he claims, there is an "obvious integral relationship" between the church's historical anti-Judaism and the genesis of the Holocaust. He also calls for examining the culpability of the church for the Holocaust.

"Anti-Semitism led to the Holocaust," wrote Mr. Goldhagen, a former Harvard professor and author of a controversial 1996 book, "Hitler's Willing Executioners." "Anti-Semitism has been integral to the Catholic Church. Surely the question of what the relationship is between the church's anti-Semitism and the Holocaust should be at the center of any general treatment of either of these subjects."

Eugene Fisher, associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, lashed out at Mr. Goldhagen.

"This is a remarkably uninformed piece," said Mr. Fisher, who has been involved for many years in Jewish-Catholic dialogue. "He lives in fantasy land and he is making this up. It's a sad case and he ought to see a psychiatrist."

Rabbi David Rosen, international director of inter-religious affairs at the American Jewish Committee, said that Mr. Goldhagen "has an unconcealed antagonism against the Catholic Church, and it shows."

Rabbi Rosen added that while the article was "fine on the past, it was woefully uninformed on the present efforts by the church to mend its ways." Several other scholars and members of the Jewish-Catholic dialogue interviewed for this article made the same point and were especially incensed that steps taken by Pope John Paul II were not acknowledged by Mr. Goldhagen. (See ForwardForum, Page 9.) While some agreed with Mr. Goldhagen's criticism of Pius XII, they criticized his sweeping indictment of the church. Mr. Goldhagen declined to comment on the reactions. He told the Forward that the article was the foundation for his upcoming book, "A Moral Reckoning, the Catholic Church During the Holocaust and Today," to be published in the fall.

His article comes at a time of renewed tensions between Jews and Catholics over the proposed beatification of Pius XII. For years, Jewish groups have protested the Vatican's intention to beatify a pope who, they claim, maintained a guilty silence during the Holocaust. Last summer, the work of a joint historical commission formed to study the wartime archives of the Vatican stalled over the refusal of Vatican officials to give historians full access to the archives, prompting acrimonious exchanges between Jewish and Catholic officials.

However, Seymour Reich, chairman of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations, the official Jewish liaison with the Vatican, praised the Goldhagen article as "very powerful" and believed it would have a "great impact."

"If the Catholic Church wants to defend itself against those charges, there is only one solution - open the wartime archives," said Mr. Reich, who has spent considerable time negotiating with the Vatican to open its archives and who expressed frustration after those efforts foundered last summer.

Mr. Goldhagen's piece is presented as a review essay of several books in the issue. But his personal thoughts are clearly on display and The New Republic presents his article as "an exhaustive investigation."

Mr. Goldhagen starts the article by denouncing the "exculpatory strategies" used by apologists of Pius XII and compares them to the ones used by those trying to exculpate ordinary Germans of their responsibility for, and participation in, the Holocaust. This is a direct reference to the thesis he defended in "Hitler's Willing Executioners," which prompted vivid criticism from some of his fellow historians for his broad denunciation of the German people.

In addition to a relatively consensual criticism of Pius XII's inaction to help Jews, Mr. Goldhagen also claims that the pope was an anti-Semite who collaborated with Nazi Germany - like Marshall Philippe Petain in France or Vidkun Quisling in Norway - most noticeably by signing a concordat agreement with Adolph Hitler in 1933.

But more crucially, Mr. Goldhagen argues that the focus over Pius XII's beatification deflects criticism over the church's past and the attitude of the Vatican and the national churches during the war. This leads him to the most devastating charges of the article, the link between the Church and the Holocaust.

Mr. Goldhagen writes that the "iron curtain" erected by the church between its theological anti- Judaism and Germany's anti-Semitism is a "fiction" that must be lifted.

"This inevitably leads to a consideration of the degree of the church's culpability not just for its reactions to the eliminationist onslaught, but also for the Holocaust itself," he wrote.

He notes that the Catholic Church could find "common cause" with most of the declarations of anti-Semites in the 1930s and claims it makes "little difference" if "their litanies of hatred were not 100 percent congruent, but only a figurative 90 percent."

Mr. Goldhagen goes on to describe as insufficient efforts made by the church since the war, from the "tepid and deeply flawed" Vatican II Council in 1965, which officially recognized that the Jews did not kill Jesus, to the "half-heartedness and historical fabrications" of the 1998 "We Remember" declaration by the church on the Holocaust, which acknowledged the shortcomings of the church during the war.

"This is really the area where he shows lack of knowledge," said Rabbi Rosen of AJCommittee. "There are many other documents and efforts made that he seems not to know about and this is troubling."

LIBRARY DOCUMENTS ON PIUS XII

LIBRARY DOCUMENTS ON PIUS XII

Cornwell’s Pope: A Nasty Caricature of a Noble and Saintly Man - ZENIT
Against John Cornwell's book: "Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII," a point by point rebuttal is provided by Dr. Peter Gumpel, S.J., one of the most respected authorities on the Catholic Church and the Second World War and postulator of the cause for beatification of Pius XII.

Did Pius XII Remain Silent? – Fr William Saunders
In spite of Hitler’s reprisals against the Church, the Pope did speak out against persecution of the Jews, and acted in secret, to deliver as many as possible from the Nazis.

Difficult Relations Between Church and Nazism - ZENIT
On 4 May 2000, the Pontifical Athenaeum "Regina Apostolorum" in Rome held a Congress on "The Martyrs of Eastern Europe and Nazism." Among the speakers was Fr. Peter Gumpel, a prestigious historian and official postulator of the Society of Jesus, who addressed the topic of the relations between the Catholic Church and Nazism.

Eichmann’s Diary Reveals Church’s Assistance to Jews - ZENIT
Adolf Eichmann’s diaries, executed in 1962 for "crimes against the Jewish people and against humanity," show that the Pope "vigorously protested the arrest of Jews, requesting the interruption of such action."

Historical Truth of Pius XII’s Work - ZENIT
Sister Margaret Marchione’s book, Pius XII: Architect of Peace, looks at the Holocaust, and praises Pius XII’s work in support of the persecuted. The author, who is internationally known for her numerous publications on historic figures, maintains that this Pontiff was one of the most invaluable protectors of the Jews in countries dominated by National Socialism, whose atrocities he condemned.

Jewish Recognition of Pope Pius XII’s Support - ZENIT
Reports that "a document has been discovered in Israel that not only confirms Pius XII's role in defense of persecuted Jews, but reveals that world leaders of the Jewish communities at the time were very aware of his action, to the point that after the war they came to Rome and gave the Catholic Church a very generous donation."

Jewish-Catholic Commission to Study World War II - ZENIT
Six scholars, three Catholic and three Jewish, will form a joint team to study the 11 volumes of Vatican documents relating to the Second World War. In particular, the Commission will analyze the Catholic Church’s relation with the Jews during those very complex years of world history.

New Studies Document Pius XII’s Opposition to Nazism – ZENIT
A new book, "Fascism, the Church, and the Catholic Movement in Italy: 1922-1943," by Russian historian Evghenija Tokareva, sheds further light on Pius XII’s response to Nazi persecution of the Jews.

Pius XII and the Holocaust - The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
Compilation of articles, including two by Robert A. Graham, S.J., "How to Manufacture a Legend," on the alleged silence of Pius XII, and "Pius XII’s Defense of Jews and Others," written with full access to the Vatican Archives; also "A Question of Judgment: Pius XII and the Jews," by Joseph Lichten, then director of International Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.

Pius XII and the Jews - National Association of Catholic Families
In response to the question, why Pius XII did not speak out more forcefully against Hitler, historian Fr Dermot Fenlon of the Birmingham Oratory looks at the facts and sets the record straight.

Pius XII Rehabilitated by Jewish Historian – ZENIT
Newly revealed documents show Nazis regarded the Pope as an enemy because of his assistance to Jews.

Pius XII: the Martyrdom of Silence - Dr Emilia Paola Pacelli
Dr Pacelli gives testimony to the Pope's suffering in silence rather than give occasion to the Nazis to worsen their atrocities.

Pius XII’s 1941 Letter Protested Treatment of Jews - ZENIT
Russian historian Evghenjia Tokareva, author of the first Russian monograph on "Fascism, the Church, and the Catholic Movement in Italy (1922-1943)," said that in "January 1941, Pius XII was ready to address a letter to Germany, with a strong protest for the arrest and deportation of 40,000 Jews, but he burnt it, explaining that the protests he expressed before caused very harsh reprisals."

Pius XII’s Cause of Beatification Progresses –ZENIT
In spite of campaign launched against Pius XII, his cause of beatification "is proceeding rapidly," according to Fr. Peter Gumpel, relator of the cause.

Saviour of the Jews – Michael O’Carroll C.S.Sp.
Raises the question of why Pius XII continues to be charged with doing nothing to save the Jews, when the evidence to the contrary is so accessible and compelling.

The Myth in the Light of the Archives – Peirre Blet, S.J.
Accusers of Pius XII are referred to the Archives of the Vatican Secretariat of State, accessible since 1964, where files record the day by day, sometimes hour by hour, activity of the Pope and his offices.

World Press Unmasks Fallacies in Book Defaming Pius XII – ZENIT
In a follow-up interview, Dr Peter Gumpel responds to questions on the Cornwell book against Pius XII.

Most of Rome's Jews Were Saved From Hitler's Final Solution - LOR
In an interview, given to the German Catholic News Agency (KNA) on 7 November 2000, by Mr Nikolaus Kunkel, a German army officer testifies to Pius XII’s actions to save Roman Jews during the Second World War.

The Good Samaritan: Jewish Praise For Pope Pius XII - Dimitri Cavalli
This article brings together a considerable amount of previously scattered evidence for how
Jews during Pius's lifetime viewed his conduct. It also raises the question, Were the Jews who praised and thanked Pius after the war all mistaken or insincere, or are the attacks on Pius today unfair?

Rabbi defends Pius XII against criticisms - Rabbi David G. Dalin
In an article appearing in the February 26, 2001 edition of The Weekly Standard, a political weekly edited by conservative commentators William Kristol and Fred Barnes, Rabbi David G. Dalin persuasively addresses the criticisms of Pope Pius XII in recent books which argue he did little to oppose the Holocaust during World War II.

Review of Pierre Blet's Book - Konrad Repgen
In this article, a professor emeritus of the University of Bonn reviews the book by Fr Pierre Blet, S.J., Papst Pius XII und der Zweite Weltkrieg. Aus den Akten de Vatikans ("Pius XII and the Second World War, according to the Archives of the Vatican").

Pius XII Saved More Jews Than Schindler - LOR
In an interview conducted by L'Osservatore Romano (5 September 2001), historian Rabbi David Dalin defends Pope Pius XII against revisionist historians, who charge him with not doing enough to defend the Jews against Nazi persecution.

Mr. Goldhagen, a former Harvard professor and author of a controversial 1996 book, "Hitler's Willing Executioners." "Anti-Semitism has been integral to the Catholic Church.

Thanks for the excellent reference materials.

I cannot help but be a bit uncomfortable with this whole debate, particularly when considering the purely religious aspect of the argument. This will sound more controversial than it should, if people really understood the nature of religion and the Catholic Church, but, in a sense, purely on religious terms what is sometimes inaccurately termed "anti-semitism" is indeed "integral to the Catholic Church," as Goldhagen argues. He is perhaps unintentionally more right than many here give him credit for. There is a fundamental incompatability between everything the Catholic Church has been for two thousand years and the Jewish religion, as there is between the Roman Church and the protestant sects. The Roman Catholic Church is anti-Protestant as well, while recognizing that the individual following these false religions is indeed one of God's creatures and thus as such entitled to the same love and respect as co-religionists.

But what I think is happening here is that two completely different arguments have been merged into one, by those with different agendas to push, with the result being a dangerous muddle of both of them. "Conservative" Catholics fully embrace the nearly heretical ecumenism of JPII's Church, shockingly turning their back on the history and traditions of their own faith and agreeing to the modernist fabrication that false religions are just "another way" to salvation. These people are violently angry with Goldhagen's argument because they don't think it is fair for him to be so mean when they have been bending over backward apologizing to and being ecumenical with the Jews. Radical and I suspect non-religious Jews also have an agenda, which is to undermine both religions and, perhaps more importantly, replace the Jewish religion with a new materialistic "religion" of Jewish victimology. This threatens the Jewish faith.

From a traditional Roman Catholic perspective, as stated above, Goldhagen's arguments have an unintentionally valid ring to them. The Church is indeed incompatible on religious terms with the Jewish faith, though by no means are the people of one faith permitted to act upon the people of the other in a violent manner. Indeed, a traditional Catholic like myself can find many appealing things in the Jewish faith and in Jewish culture while at the same time maintaining the necessary spiritual distance.

Only when the Roman Church's necessary anti-Jewishness can be seperated from the idea anti-Semitism, which the Church rightly views as unacceptable, can this debate really begin. Radical anti-religious Jews and their conservative Catholic enablers are not helping matters. I am not holding my breath.

Everyone knows The Forward is Liberal and supported Clinton. Read up a bit....

Goldhagen Wins German Prize for Holocaust Book - By Debra Bradley Ruder - Gazette Staff

Daniel J. Goldhagen, associate professor of government and social studies, has been honored by a prestigious German journal for his recent and provocative book about the Holocaust.

The Journal for German and International Politics selected Goldhagen for the 1997 Democracy Prize because his book, Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust, has helped sharpen public understanding about the past during a period of radical change in Germany.

"Because of the penetrating quality and the moral power of his presentation, Daniel Goldhagen has greatly stirred the consciousness of the German public," the Journal said on Tuesday. "This is especially important in the present period of transition that is shaping the transformation of the Bonn Republic to the Berlin Republic."

Goldhagen's book, which is being published in 12 languages and has become a best-seller in the United States, Germany, and seven other countries, has drawn enormous praise, criticism, and media attention. It argues that the perpetrators of the Holocaust were ordinary Germans who were driven by virulent anti-Semitism to degrade, torture, and kill Jews. The volume, published in the U.S. last March, is based on Goldhagen's prize-winning Harvard doctoral dissertation.

Goldhagen will accept the Democracy Prize on March 10 in Bonn, where the "laudatio" speech will be given by Jürgen Habermas, the world-renowned German philosopher and social critic. The roughly $6,400 prize is given occasionally and was last bestowed in 1990, on the democratic movement of the former East Germany.

In making its choice, the Journal -- a mainstream political and intellectual monthly -- said the ferocious debate sparked by Hitler's Willing Executioners provides a "striking example" that the past cannot be forgotten. The book, it noted, has underscored that there is no historical German "normalcy" to which Germany can return, and that "the founding principles of the Federal Republic of Germany" must continue to govern unified Germany.

It also praised Goldhagen for helping provide answers to the German descendants of the Holocaust, answers "which, as a rule, parents or grandparents had denied them. And the answers of German historiography have until now not been able to fill the gap," it said. Goldhagen, who has been on leave from Harvard this term, said he is "delighted, thrilled, and, even more, honored and deeply moved" to receive the prize.

"When I wrote my book, I believed that it was only about how to understand and think about the past," he reflected. "More and more, I have come to realize that the book is also about the present and the future."

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Catholics, Jews Unite To Attack Scholar's Latest

Goldhagen Stirring Ire With Article on Pius XII

By MARC PERELMAN

Reprinted with permission

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