Free Republic

When one approaches the figure of Pius XII "free from ideological prejudices", one must recognize his "courageous and paternal dedication" to saving, wherever possible, the greatest possible number of Jews, which included working "secretly and silently". A congress organized by the Pave the Way Foundation 50 years after the death of Pope Pacelli gave Benedict XVI the opportunity to recall the "historical truth" about Pius XII's efforts to save Jews, which were recognized after the war by many Jewish figures, including 80 delegates of concentration camp survivors. "So much has been written and said" about Pius XII, the pope noted,...

Rabbi tells Vatican synod: 'We can't forget' Wartime Silence Philip Pullella, Reuters Published: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 VATICAN CITY - The first Jew to address a Vatican synod told the gathering yesterday Jews "cannot forgive and forget" that some major religious leaders during the Second World War did not speak out against the Holocaust. Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen's words, spoken in the presence of Pope Benedict, were a clear reference to Pius XII, the wartime pope who many Jews say did not do enough to help them. "We cannot forget the sad and painful fact of how many, including great religious...

Group says pope will weigh delay of Pius's beatification By Rachel Donadio VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI told Jewish leaders on Thursday that he was "seriously considering" delaying the beatification of Pius XII, the pope during World War II, until the archives of his papacy had been opened, a participant at the meeting said. But the pope's spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Benedict's response was not a "public commitment," according to The Associated Press. "You shouldn't read this response for beyond what it is," Father Lombardi said. "It is a polite, serious response. He always takes seriously what he...

Vatican fumes at Israeli minister's remarks on Nazi-era pope By Adi Schwartz, Haaretz Correspondent and Staff Vatican officials are furious over Minister Isaac Herzog's statement in Thursday's Haaretz that the planned beatification of Pope Pius XII, who headed the Catholic Church during the Holocaust, is "unacceptable." Cardinal Andrea Lanza di Montezemolo told the Italian paper Corriere della Serra yesterday that "Israel's interference in the matter of Pius XII must stop. We've had it with this interference. Outside opinions are liable to disrupt [the process], and they look like an attempt to force Pope Benedict XVI to make a decision. The...

An Israeli expert believes the Vatican will not be able to pull back from its stance on Pope Pius XII because of mistakes made by Israel.  Dr. Yitzhak Minerbi, an expert on Vatican relations, told Ynet that Israel helped speed up the process of turning the World War II pope into a saint, due to lack of a suitable foreign policy and its failure to honor agreements signed with the leadership of the global Catholic Church. Recent days have seen a rise in tensions in the relations between the Jewish state and the Vatican over an inscription accompanying a photograph...

French Jewish Group Opposes Pius XII Sainthood Friday, October 17, 2008 4:30 PM PARIS -- France's main Jewish organization warned Friday that efforts to make wartime Pope Pius XII a saint would deal "a severe blow" to relations between Catholics and Jews. The warning from an umbrella organization of French Jewish groups comes as the Vatican mounts a campaign to refute accusations Pius did not do enough to try to stop the extermination of 6 million Jews during World War II. "Pope Pius XII, worried about burning his bridges with Germany, never made a clear statement denouncing the singular monstrosity...