In March of this year, a number of articles began to circulate the internet, rehashing claims of Pope Pius XII and his supposed silence or, in some claims, his support with regard to the Nazis during the Second World War. One such an article can be found here: "Pope Pius XII was silent during the Holocaust. Now Vatican Records may reveal whether he collaborated with the Nazis."
This claim is nothing new to Catholics who have remotely studied the issue even in a very superficial manner. Statistics that prove the contrary can be found as easily as a quick Wikipedia search. As such, this post will not be a complete nor thorough assessment of all of the events and actions that took place in World War II with regards to Pope Pius XII. But, perhaps, it may help to clarify some of the claims that we may encounter in the coming months.
One of the best resources to go to for a history of the Catholic Church during the Second World War is Ronald J. Rychlak's book, Hitler, the War, and the Pope (Our Sunday Visitor, 2010). The book can be purchased here for those who are interested.
So, was Pope Pius XII working in cooperation with Hitler? The evidence points to the contrary. For example, when the world was welcoming Pope Pius XII as the new pope following the death of Pope Piux XI, "there were reports that Hitler wanted to 'drive His Holiness out of Italy then to have his election announced as invalid…'" ^1^
Neither was Pope Pius XII silent in his disapproval of the Nazi party and their actions. Rychlak notes that "research into the Vatican's wartime records…shows that Pius XII personally authored many of the intensely anti-German statements beamed around the world. In other cases, directives were found from the Pope regarding the content of the broadcasts." ^2^
In 1942 when the Catholic Church began to feel some of the worst persecution yet by the Nazi party, Pope Pius XII did everything he could to try to win the freedom of his bishops and priests who were imprisoned in Dachau, but these attempts were all frustrated. What is most notable, however, is that "Pope Pius XII used no different technique in his efforts to help Catholic priests than he did when trying to help Jewish paupers. In each case, his words and actions were calculated so as to achieve the best results for the victims." ^3^
Pius XII and the Vatican as an individual state is most noted for having maintained a state of neutrality during the war. I believe that there are two reasons for this. One, as noted by John Vidmar, was that after the conclusion of World War II, the terms and conditions by the allies left Germany in the condition it was that fostered an environment rich enough for Hitler to come to power. As a result, Pope Pius XII did not trust the allied powers to be able to make a just peace.^4^ Secondly, and related to the first, is that maintaining a neutral stance allowed the Pope more freedom with trying to facilitate those terms of a just peace that he (and the world) so desperately needed.
Was Pope Pius XII silent during this time period? No, he was not. Nor did he sit back and let the Jews suffer without intervening. In fact, under his direction, the "Holy See, the Nuncios and the entire Catholic Church, saved some 400,000 Jews from certain death." ^5^ Rychlak writes that "the Catholic Church saved more Jewish lives than all the other churches, religious institutions, and rescue organizations put together." ^6^
Pope Francis has opened up the Vatican Archives to allow scholars to see what Pope Pius XII was doing during the time of the Nazis and there should be no doubt among Catholic minds that history will show the Pope as having been an active member in not only working against the Nazis, but also being essential in saving countless lives.
^1^ Ronal J. Rychlak, Hitler, the War, and the Pope (Our Sunday Visitor: Huntington, 2010), 130 (kindle edition).
^2^ Rychlak, Hitler, the War, and the Pope, 159 (kindle edition).
^3^ Rychlak, Hitler, the War, and the Pope, 195 (kindle edition).
^4^ John Vidmar, O.P., The Catholic Church Through The Ages Second Edition (Paulist Press: New York/New Jersey, 2014), 341.
^5^ Derek Holmes, The Papacy in the Modern World, 1914-1978 (New York: Crossroad, 1981), 158.
^6^ Rychlak, Hitler, the War, and the Pope, 356 (kindle edition).
No comments:
Post a Comment