Vatican spars with Israel's Holocaust memorial over pope's World War II role

WHDH 7 News Boston ^ | April 12, 2007

[Alex Murphy]

JERUSALEM -- The Vatican and Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial got into a public spat Thursday over the wartime conduct of Pope Pius XII during the Nazi genocide, threatening to upset fragile relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Jewish state.

Separately, church officials announced new developments Thursday in the Vatican's case to make Pius a saint. A massive dossier on Pius' virtues -- some six volumes of 3,000 pages -- was handed over to a panel of bishops and cardinals earlier this month to study, they said.

At issue in the Yad Vashem-Vatican dispute is a photograph of Pius in Yad Vashem's museum in Jerusalem with the caption: "Even when reports about the murder of Jews reached the Vatican, the pope did not protest," refusing to sign a 1942 Allied condemnation of the massacre of Jews during World War II.

Pius "maintained his neutral position" with two exceptions, the caption reads, criticizing "his silence and absence of guidelines." The exceptions were appeals to the rulers of Hungary and Slovakia toward the end of the war, the caption says.

The Vatican's ambassador to Israel, Monsignor Antonio Franco, confirmed Thursday that he would not attend Yad Vashem's annual memorial service for Holocaust victims next week because of the Pius photograph.

"I don't intend to go to Yad Vashem if things remain the way they do," he said.

The memorial service is traditionally attended by all foreign ambassadors to Israel or their representatives. Yad Vashem said this would mark the first case in which a foreign emissary deliberately skipped the ceremony.

Yad Vashem is "shocked and disappointed" by Franco's decision, said spokeswoman Iris Rosenberg.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yariv Ovadia said the Holocaust "was one of the most traumatic events to befall the Jewish people ... and it is their decision whether they want to pay respect to the victims or not."

The disputed photo caption first appeared in 2005, when Yad Vashem opened its new museum. Shortly after, the previous Vatican ambassador asked that the caption be changed.

Yad Vashem has not done so, insisting its research on the pope's role was accurate.

Yad Vashem said it would be ready to re-examine Pius XII's conduct during the Holocaust if the Vatican opened its World War II-era archives to the museum's research staff and new material emerged. Despite frequent requests from Holocaust researchers, the Vatican has denied access to major parts of its archives, including wartime papers.

Rosenberg said the museum "would continue to present the historical truth on Pius XII as it is known to scholars today."

The Vatican has struggled to defend its wartime pope, insisting Pius spearheaded discreet diplomacy that saved thousands of Jews.

Franco said in his letter to Yad Vashem that he found the Pius XII caption offensive to Catholics.

"I respect the memory of the martyrs of the Holocaust but also the memory of the pope," he said. "The right of one does not infringe on the right of the other."

In Rome, the Rev. Peter Gumpel, who is spearheading Pius' sainthood cause, said he was "shocked" by Yad Vashem's portrayal of Pius.

He maintained that historians "say they find it difficult to understand how people can say that Pope Pius XII did nothing for the Jews. To present him now this way, I find it very difficult to understand."

Gumpel said he hoped the panel of bishops and cardinals would decide on Pius' case this year. If the clerics approve the dossier, they will pass their recommendations on to Pope Benedict XVI, who could then sign a decree on Pius' virtues, the first major step toward possible beatification. The Vatican would then have to confirm a miracle attributed to Pius' intercession for him to be beatified, and a second miracle for him to be canonized.

Israel and the Vatican established diplomatic relations in 1994, after hundreds of years of painful relations between Catholicism and Judaism.

Rabbi David Rosen, who helped negotiate the 1994 agreement, said the relationship remains strong, despite Israel's failure to keep key promises to the Vatican on issues including taxation.

Rosen, in charge of interfaith relations at the American Jewish Committee, said the dispute over the pope should have been resolved quietly, not in public.

"It is certainly very regrettable and will leave a bad taste on both sides," he said, adding that he did not expect lasting damage to the relationship.

[Uncle Chip]

The Israeli’s want access to Vatican WW2 archives and then they will give their blessing that everything is kosher. This is arrogant and self-righteous by Israel. Until they get their demands from the Vatican that they release government documents they will smear a Pope that helped their people. No good deed goes unpunished as the saying goes.

Now just what could be wrong with that request??? Pius XII's defenders claim that he personally saved 860,000 Jews. Maybe they just want to see where they get that inflated number from??? And frankly so do a lot of people. They just want to check their math --- that's all.

Is the Vatican hiding something in those archives that they don't want anyone to see --- like perhaps the records of all those Nazi and Ustashe mass murdering war criminals who were whisked away from post-war justice down those secretive Ratlines in Pius XII's Vatican???

Maybe the Israelis think that some of those ratliners have been inadvertently counted in that 860,000 saved figure??? Maybe Pius XII's Vatican got the two groups mixed up and thought they were sending Jews down those ratlines to South America when they were really sending boatloads of war criminals.

Mistakes like that happen all the time there in the Vatican. So let's open those Vatican archives and let the accountants see what the records say. Is that asking too much???

[reagandemocrat]

Well, the Pope could’ve sent JFK and PT109 over to destroy Hitler’s army....but he didn’t.

Fact.

[Conservative til I die]

I don’t find Jerusalem to be the final answer to any issue. Some people bow their statements as if its gospel. The Israeli’s want access to Vatican WW2 archives and then they will give their blessing that everything is kosher. This is arrogant and self-righteous by Israel. Until they get their demands from the Vatican that they release government documents they will smear a Pope that helped their people. No good deed goes unpunished as the saying goes. That’s mainly what bothers me about this article.

How dare you question Israel. The Amen corner at FR will be most displeased.

[RobbyS]

Try common sense, Probably Pius XI—if he had lived—would have more strongly attacked Hitler’s policy, because that is the way he did things. Then again he may have not. When one’s first obligation is to one’s own, any measures that would have led to the actual destruction of the Church is not to be expected. Eisenhower did not send troops into Hungary in 1956, because the obvious consequence would have been a European war. The pope did not “stand up” to Hitler because (1) He knew Hitler and (2) he knew Stalin. (3) He knew the limits of Anglo-Saxon Power.

[OLD REGGIE]

It strikes me that your statement is similar to a plaintiff claiming that despite 500 or more character witnesses,eye witness testimonies,documents,editorials,newspaper articles,records and reports (most gathered at the time of the "accident or crime"),attesting to the defendant's character,actions and intentions,he found at least 14 people that think that if the defendant had taken a different course of action the damages may have been less. This is to say nothing about the extenuating circumstances that may have severely limited alternatives available to the defendant.

Dear Sara.... I must admit you are very consistent. (The only thing I see missing is your plea for all Christians to unite (under the auspices of the RCC of course) to fight the common enemy.

Let's change your scenario to one where an equal number of (500) others saw it differently and had equally compelling testimony.

What you see as an attack on the Pope others see as history.

I am on record as saying that Britain and France, among others, have a much higher culpability in the rise of Hitler to strength and power but to say the Catholic Church and it's representatives could have done nothing differently is, in my opinion, misguided.

Pacelli, acting in his political capacity, was instrumental in negotiating the Concordat with Germany. Pius XII, now the Pope, was forced to live with some of the features of the Concordat which weakened the influence of the Church, destroyed the influential Catholic Centre Party, and in it's own way helped to solidify the power of Hitler.

I see this as history. Am I to expect you to claim I am attacking the Pope? Is it 100% one way or the other?

[OLD REGGIE]

"The Israeli’s want access to Vatican WW2 archives and then they will give their blessing that everything is kosher. This is arrogant and self-righteous by Israel. Until they get their demands from the Vatican that they release government documents they will smear a Pope that helped their people...".

Wow! Are you stating this as fact? Do you care to restate what appears to be an attack on the Israeli’s? Do you really believe what you are saying?

[OLD REGGIE]

Israel is going to have to remain unsatisfied. But of course Israel has all the friends it needs in the world. It doesn’t have to have good relations with the Vatican.

What is that supposed to mean? Do you think they aren't entitled to documents which may be very critical?

Why bother to even pretend you are interested in cooperating if you, who controls all the documents, holds out the right to pick and choose the ones to be shown? As for the rest; "none of your business"!

[OLD REGGIE]

Try common sense, Probably Pius XI—if he had lived—would have more strongly attacked Hitler’s policy, because that is the way he did things. Then again he may have not. When one’s first obligation is to one’s own, any measures that would have led to the actual destruction of the Church is not to be expected. Eisenhower did not send troops into Hungary in 1956, because the obvious consequence would have been a European war. The pope did not “stand up” to Hitler because (1) He knew Hitler and (2) he knew Stalin. (3) He knew the limits of Anglo-Saxon Power.

Are you among those who believe the RCC could have done nothing differently in their handling of Germany before and during the rise to power of Hitler?

The RCC can make no mistakes? All actions of Pius XII was perfect prior to, during, and after WWII?

Please try to limit your discussion to the topic; Pacelli/Pius XII.

[blue-duncan]

“When one’s first obligation is to one’s own, any measures that would have led to the actual destruction of the Church is not to be expected.”

That has got to be the most incredible statement from any one here on the FR Religion forum. First, as the claimed “Vicar” of Christ his first obligation is to Christ and His gospel. Second, what happened to “on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”? Did the Pope know more than Jesus did or does or did his faith in God’s sovereignty only go as far as his courage?

[RobbyS]

Why do you insist that Israel have such a right? Exactly what harm comes to them if they don’t have this entry into the Vatican archives? Do they have the right to our state documents, so that Isarel can know for sure what our government did about the Holocaust during the war? I see the same attitude where the Democrats are demanding to know everything the administration did about the firing of the US DAs. It says: well, you are our enemy: proves that you are worthy of being our friend.

[RobbyS]

The Concordant was an attempt to create a relationship with the Nazis more or less like the arrangement with the Fascists in Italy. As for destroying the Center Party, that is naive. Hitler would have destroyed it anyway, and in the same way as he destroyed the Communists and socialists. You somehow forget his ruthlessness and —more than that—his effectiveness. He was even able to neutralize the only power in Germany that could have brought him down, which was the Wehrmacht. If Pacelli underestimated Hitler’s will to power, he was a member of a large company. The Western Powers, Stalin and even Mussolini, not to speak of Jewish leadership. All paid the price. One of the few to foil Hitler’s designs was Franco. Franco played his cards right, his ace being Gibraltar.

[part deux]

How dare you question Israel. The Amen corner at FR will be most displeased.

Yes I have noticed.

[OLD REGGIE]

Why do you insist that Israel have such a right? Exactly what harm comes to them if they don’t have this entry into the Vatican archives? Do they have the right to our state documents, so that Isarel can know for sure what our government did about the Holocaust during the war?

I don't insist on any such thing. Israel has no inherent right to see any documents in the Vatican archives. Happy now?

Of couse the Vatican would then be out of order to claim they proved anything concerning their actions concerning the Holocaust.

To say "we showed you all the documents (the documents we carefully collected for you to see) and they prove without question the whole story is known" seems a tad disenguous. No?

You can't have it both ways. What do you have to hide?

[OLD REGGIE]

If Pacelli underestimated Hitler’s will to power, he was a member of a large company.

That's what I have been saying and for having the nerve to say such a thing I guess I am a "Catholic Basher-Hater", and worse.

Don't you know this saintly man was perfect in every way and made no mistakes in his actions as a political representative of the Vatican and as the Pope?

[RobbyS]

It does work both ways. Israel behaves as though they had substantial proof. What they want is a fishing expedition such as they would not allow in their archives by say someone who did not take their word about an attack on a certain American warship.

[RobbyS]

It ws said even when he first assumed office that he would not be as strong as Pius XI, and indeed his undoubted gifts as a diplomatic were almost useless in such time as he faced. But the same can be said of Benedict XV, and as Pacelli lived through that experience he might well have realized how futile any effort he might undertake to restrain the wild beasts that were laying waste to Europe. You will note that he made no effort to mediate among the powers. Unlike Benedict, who had an ally in a young Austrian emperor in 1916, Pius had no standing at all with the principal Axis powers and a complete understanding that neither side was a friend of the Church, An allied victory meant probably a Communist Europe; and an Axis victory meant a Europe where on the winning side, only Franco might have had some sway. For the Jews the only consideration was the fate of their fellows. Ironically, the Church was the only party that did anything at all to give them some kind of help. No small thing when one considers that inside the Church were priests and even bishops whose first loyalty was not to the pope.

[OLD REGGIE]

What they want is a fishing expedition such as they would not allow in their archives by say someone who did not take their word about an attack on a certain American warship.

Did they say anything to indicate they'd "prove" their innocence by opening up their archives but then say "you can't see this - and this - and this, but the papers we showed you prove our innocence"?

Either open them up, all of them, or shut up.

[OLD REGGIE]

It ws said even when he first assumed office that he would not be as strong as Pius XI, and indeed his undoubted gifts as a diplomatic were almost useless in such time as he faced. But the same can be said of Benedict XV, and as Pacelli lived through that experience he might well have realized how futile any effort he might undertake to restrain the wild beasts that were laying waste to Europe. You will note that he made no effort to mediate among the powers. Unlike Benedict, who had an ally in a young Austrian emperor in 1916, Pius had no standing at all with the principal Axis powers and a complete understanding that neither side was a friend of the Church, An allied victory meant probably a Communist Europe; and an Axis victory meant a Europe where on the winning side, only Franco might have had some sway. For the Jews the only consideration was the fate of their fellows. Ironically, the Church was the only party that did anything at all to give them some kind of help. No small thing when one considers that inside the Church were priests and even bishops whose first loyalty was not to the pope.

Is he a Saint?

[RobbyS]

And it is a strange way to come to terms with an estranged party: We refuse to accept the evidence you offer. If one party dashes aside a hand offered in friendship, then that kills that friendship.

[RobbyS]

I don’t know. I do know that the cynical character in “The Deputy” goes against all evidence.