Rome – Vatican: Canonization of Pius XII Not a Hostile Act Against Jews

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    Vatican: Canonization of Pius XII Not a Hostile Act Against Jews Rome – The Vatican said Tuesday that moving Pope Pius XII closer to sainthood is not a hostile act against Jews, even though the wartime pontiff has been criticized for not speaking out enough against the Holocaust.

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    A Vatican statement said Tuesday that the move should not be an obstacle to dialogue between Jews and the Catholic Church, and insisted Pope Benedict XVI has sentiments of great friendship and respect for the Jews.

    The statement sought to quell the outrage sparked among many Jewish groups after Benedict signed a decree on Pius’s virtues. The decree means that Pius can be beatified – the first major step toward sainthood – once a miracle attributed to his intercession has been recognized.

    Jewish community organizations around the world say the canonization process for Pius XII should wait until the Vatican archives are opened, because this might shed light on Pius’ conduct during the Holocaust. The Vatican has said the archives will not be opened before 2014.

    The Vatican reaffirmed what it said was Pius’ attention and preoccupation with the fate of Jews, saying that this is well established and recognized even by many Jews. But it said the process toward beatification was not intended to limit historical discussion on the pontiff, as the decree concerns Pius’ faith and Christian virtues.

    The pope signed the decree Saturday along with a similar decree recognizing the virtues of his immediate predecessor, John Paul II. This led many to believe the two causes would proceed together – and caused further outcry since John Paul was admired by many Jews.

    The statement said there was no reason to believe that any possible beatification would take place at the same time.

    Some Jews and historians have argued Pius should have done more to prevent the deaths of 6 million Jews at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II.

    The Vatican insists Pius used quiet diplomacy to try to save Jews and that speaking out more forcefully would have resulted in more deaths.

    Pius, a Vatican diplomat in Germany and the Vatican’s secretary of state before being elected pope, did denounce in general terms the extermination of people based on race and opened Vatican City to refugees, including Jews, after Hitler occupied Rome in 1943.

    But he didn’t issue public indictments of Jewish deportations, and some historians say he cared more about bilateral relations with Nazi Germany, and the rights of the Catholic church there, than saving Jewish lives.


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    28 Comments
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    Monsey Man
    Monsey Man
    14 years ago

    “the move should not be an obstacle to dialogue between Jews and the Catholic Church.” Of course it shouldn’t be. The Catholic Church should be allowed to do anything and everything that they desire to do, and the Jews should not complain because if we do then we are the ones creating an “obstacle.” Where is Chushim ben Dan when we need him to properly address the descendants of our brother Eisav? Baruch shelo asani goy.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    I knew the Catholic Church was full of it on their “rapprochement” towards Jews when they made a saint out of the queen of Spain during the expulsion of 1492. By the “John Paul II” that is “admired by many Jews.” At least he fought the evil of communism. But Stalin fought Hitler, so it doesn’t really speak to his virtue.

    Charlie Hall
    Charlie Hall
    14 years ago

    I’m no fan of Pius, but there *were* Catholics who risked or even gave up their lives in fighting the Nazis — with the full support of the church. Among the martyrs were Col. Claus Van Stauffenberg and Blessed Bernard Lichtenberg. Hopefully they will be canonized as well. (Lichtenberg already has been beatified.) Here is some research on the subject:

    http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/heroes.htm.

    Note however that the link includes no discussion of what was going on in Hungary or Croatia, where the Catholic fascist Arrow Cross and Ustashi parties competed to out-do the Nazis with their own genocides. No less a rasha than Himmler called the Ustashi “bestial”. Incredibly, Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, who supported the Ustashi, has also been beatified. The link also fails to note that there were lots of anti-Semitic Catholics in places like France and Poland; many Church figures were enthusiastic supporters of the Vichy regime.

    Tzi Bar David
    Tzi Bar David
    14 years ago

    #3, I am pretty sure Queen Isabella was not made a saint by the goyim; as for dialogue, can someone please tell me what is there to talk about? I can understand the various churches speaking to try to get back together but with the yidden, there is no reason to talk (or am I missing something?). On the civil level we are all subject to the rules and regulations of the government and certainly bound to follow the laws of the state and we can all argue about the laws of the state (including abortion) to our hearts’ content; but religious “dialogue” makes no sense; the goyim have their ways and we follow the ways of G-d through the Torah.

    fact!
    fact!
    14 years ago

    Cannonizing Pius is like Germany declaring Hitler a leading historical leader

    5T Resident
    5T Resident
    14 years ago

    Jews need to remember one thing: the Catholic Church is not our friend. Never has been, never will be. Yes, the Church took steps in Vatican II (which not all Catholics accept as law anyway) to address its role in the death of millions of Jews in the past 2000 years and John Paul II was certainly the most Jew-friendly Pope the Jews have ever seen, but one glaring fact remains: we are a thorn in the side of the Catholic Church and all Christians because we reject the divinity and the Messianic nature of the man they deem to be a god. They say he is Moshiach; we say he was not – and that galls them endlessly. We are anathema to them and nothing will ever change that. They will never accept us. As such, I feel that Jews should not have any say in who the Catholic Church chooses to make a saint. We should keep out of it. By complaining, we irritate Catholics who see that as interference and that will increase anti-Semitism. If they want to beatify someone, let them. Its an internal Catholic matter. As long as they aren’t trying to convert us at the point of the sword and are generally leaving us alone, let them do what they want to do. Its all shtus anyway!

    Askupeh
    Askupeh
    14 years ago

    I have mixed feelings on this. On the one hand it hurts us when they try to make a saint out of a man who was on all accounts very flawed, especially in abdicating his responsibility to the Jewish people at least as human beings; but on the other hand I find it incorrect in telling the Vatican what to do. On top of everything it would serve us no good if the Vatican backed down because of our protests. Lomoh yoimru Hagoyim that the Jews control the world and even control who should be their saints?

    There is one point which I think was lost on us, and that is if we carefully read what the Vatican said that: “the process toward beatification was not intended to limit historical discussion on the pontiff, as the decree concerns Pius’ faith and Christian virtues”.

    It is his faith and virtues as a Christian that they are weighing, NOT HIS LOVE OF THE JEWS. It is entirely a Christian faith’s issue, not ours.

    Should we honestly expect the Vatican to downgrade every pope, bishop and cardinal who hated the Jews?

    Let’s leave that for when Moshiach comes. In the meantime we are obligated to seek peace and harmony with all nations and religions. We must be very careful in our reactions.

    ChelmiTe
    ChelmiTe
    14 years ago

    If the Church wants dialogue they can demonstrate good faith by returning the Keilim to us -that they have from the Beis Hamikdosh.

    Illya Glen
    Illya Glen
    14 years ago

    And what exactly was the Pope, one individual, supposed to do when 6,000,000 could not fight back? What was Rome to do? Send in the Swiss Guards with their pikes? Threaten Hitler with excommunication? In case we’ve forgotten our history it took the combined efforts of the Allies, millions of lives, billions of dollars, millions of labor hours and 6 years to stop the Nazis. I am no fan of the RCC but these arguments that Pius XII could have done something to stop the genocide are preposterous. Pius would likely have been another burned body on a pile of smoldering opponents of Hitler. Besides who among us would have ever done anything voluntarily to help him. He is the Christian pope, and those are the people to whom his sole loyalty resides. Certainly there is no indication that he did anything to make things worse than they already were.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    what business it is of ours who the Catholics make into saints? we are still not allowed to be mored b’umos

    Thanks for letting us keep shabbos
    Thanks for letting us keep shabbos
    14 years ago

    The one thing we have to be grateful to the church for – is that when they decided a change was needed in the “sabbath” – they changed themselves to Sunday and didn’t demand us to change!