Australia – A new book written by the former Australian deputy Prime Minister charges that the New York Jewish lobby was acting in its own self-interest, and pushing a political agenda, when it “unfairly criticized” Pope Pius XII after WWII over his role in helping Jews during the Holocaust.
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THEAGE.com.au (http://bit.ly/14VEfQw) reports that in his book, “Holy See, Unholy Me: 1000 Days In Rome,” former Aussie deputy PM, Tim Fischer, who also served as the Australian ambassador to the Holy See, said on Friday that Pius XII “gets zero credit” for helping Jews during the Holocaust, and that is simply false.
Fischer points to the fact that out of the 8000 Jews in Rome during the war, only 1002 were imprisoned by the Nazis, due in large part to Pius XII’s instructions that Catholics actively aid Jews in successfully avoiding capture by hiding them in convents, monasteries, and even inside the Vatican.
Fischer’s book also cites an instance in which he claims an Israeli ambassador was forced to back off a statement calling for Pius XII to be recognized for his life-saving efforts during the Holocaust.
In calling out the Jewish lobby, Fischer said that, “Further, the moment any suggestion is made to consider Pius XII for beatification or sainthood, they hit out at close to full power and use all media avenues to stamp it out.”
“The American Jewish lobby is tun by hardliners who get their daily feed from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and will cut no slack in terms of Israel’s policies in the West Bank.”
Fischer noted that he fully expects to experience some backlash over his comments, but also said he hopes “fair-minded” people will read his book.
an aussie PM what can u expect.
Read the ” Der Stellvertreter” or the Deputy
What an ignoramus! The only reason Rome’s Jews mostly survived is because under Church doctrine the “Pope’s Jews” must survive to be converted at the second coming. The fact is that Pius was fully aware of the death camps and kept silent. Then the Church helped notorious Nazi warcriminals, such as, Eichman, Stangl, Raulf, Wagner, escape, by providing passports and cash.
Anyone using the term “N.Y. Jewish lobby” is an antasemit and a first class moron. Maybe Pius helped upper class, connected Jews in Rome, but he also looked the other way on Nazi crimes across xtian Europe, facilitated Catholic clergy criminals in Croatia and allowed the infamous Rat Line that aided Nazi war criminals escape to S. America. Pius is no saint, but shmutz.
To #4 - Your facts and statistics, are wrong. The play, “The Deputy”, did not come out in 1963, but in 1958. Secondly, Pope Pius 12th, could have publicly spoken out against the deportation of Rome’s Jews in 1944, but chose to remain silent. Regarding the Australian Deputy Prime Minister, it appears that the infamous anti-Semitic term “New York Jews”, when referring to the Jewish Lobby, has been used before. The Swiss Government used it in the late 1990’s, when it was incensed at the World Jewish Congress, for exposing the complicity of Swiss bankers with the Nazi regime, regarding the holding of assets of Holocaust victims, and their heirs.
The whole argument could very easily be settled if the Vatican opened its “Secret Archives.” As long as they remain closed no one can be blamed for thinking the worst.
With reference to “The Deputy” it opened in Berlin in 1963, but after the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe a former Romanian spymaster stated the play was part of a general KGB campaign to discredit Western religious institutions…so take it for what it’s worth.
The sad truth is the Pope behaved as too many of us would. He was unwilling to risk himself to save his neighbors. He looked the other way and hope only to spare is own “family.” This was very common, but it is not what we (Christians) expect of a Pope.