UPDATED: Scholars ask pope to slow Pius XII's canonization

National Catholic Reporter ^ | Feb. 18, 2010 | Dennis Sadowski

[Pope Pius XII]

WASHINGTON -- Nineteen Catholic scholars of theology and history are asking Pope Benedict XVI to slow the process of the sainthood cause of Pope Pius XII.

Saying that much more research needs to be done on the papacy of the mid-20th century pope, the scholars said in a Feb. 16 letter to Pope Benedict that "history needs distance and perspective" before definitive conclusions can be reached on the role of Pope Pius during World War II and the Holocaust.

Leading the effort are Servite Father John Pawlikowski, professor of ethics at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and Holy Cross Father Kevin Spicer, associate professor of history at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass.

"We're not on a bandwagon to stop his eventual canonization," Father Pawlikowski told Catholic News Service Feb. 18. "We're saying allow some time."

Father Pawlikowski said the scholars, known widely for their research and expertise on the Holocaust, wanted to express their concerns in a respectful manner to the pope.

First sent Feb. 16 via e-mail to the Vatican and then sent a day later via overnight mail, the letter asked Pope Benedict "to be patient with the cause of Pope Pius XII."

Pope Benedict advanced the cause of Pope Pius' sainthood in a Dec. 19 decree.

Copies of the letter also were sent to Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, episcopal moderator for Catholic-Jewish relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews.

[Pope Pius XII]

Yawn. Another attempt to tell the Church what saints to cannonize and which ones it can't. Typical anti-Catholic drivel.

[frogjerk]

If he is in heaven, he is in heaven...and that’s that.

[Pope Pius XII]

These idiot scholars think that this canonization process is ill-advised. A canonization process is never ill-advised. Plus, you can’t suspend anything here. The case is closed as far as I’m concerned.

[Williams]

He did no wrong he did a lot of good the attempt to sully him is tragic.

Many Jews actually think the Pope was a Nazi. Pathetic.

[Pope Pius XII]

Indeed it is.

[BenKenobi]

hey I’m a Catholic scholar too and I side with Benedict.

Pius XII saved hundreds of thousands of Jews. Historical fact.

[agere_contra]

860,000 of them in fact - dwarfing all others including the Red Cross.

[bronx2]

Just another example of “Scholars” wanting to curry favor with he Jews. Can you imagine if the situation were reversed and Catholics were telling the Jews how to conduct their affairs. The uproar from the Jews would be deafening. I would not be surprised if one were to investigate the background of these “Scholars” one would find either substantial funding of their institutions from Jewish sources or quests by these intellectuals for positions in areas where the Jews have inordinate influence.

[RobbyS]

When the CTU weighs in, I tune out. They are liberals, pure and simple.