Critics allege that the Vatican could have done more to help Jews and more to oppose Nazis during World War II. Defenders insist that the Vatican and Pope Pius XII did all they could, given the circumstances. Much of the evidence we have tends to support the former position, but there is a lot of material still locked up in Vatican archives. Why don't they make it available to independent study?
The Independent reports:
An unflattering spotlight fell on God’s business address on Earth when the German Justice Minister, Brigitte Zypries, announced on Tuesday that her country is finally to open its huge archive of Nazi records on 17 million concentration camp inmates and slave labourers. Germany’s belated move to answer the pleas for access to its archives by Holocaust survivors and their families now leaves only the Vatican standing all alone in denying them the chance to read what is in its wartime documents.
You might expect an organisation that - as the bishops have been busy pointing out last week to counter the picture of their church presented in The Da Vinci Code - is dedicated to truth, justice, forgiveness and reconciliation to have been among the first to offer access to its files. And its refusal to open its secret files has only increased suspicion that it has something it wants to cover up - principally evidence of the alleged pro-Nazi sympathies of wartime pope, Pius XII.
In the church’s official annals, Pius, who died in 1958, is painted as a saintly shepherd who led his flock with great moral courage in difficult times. For many scholars, though, he is at worst the Devil incarnate, “Hitler’s Pope”, and at best a coward who refused to speak out against the extermination of Jews, gypsies and homosexuals in gas chambers, even when he had compelling evidence that it was happening, lest his words attract Nazi aggression.
Month by month, year by year, more evidence emerges from other sources about where the Vatican’s sympathies lay in the Second World War. Earlier this year, for example, a 1946 instruction from Pope Pius to the French bishops was unearthed that ordered them not to hand over Jewish children they had been sheltering to Jewish charities now the conflict was over. According to the outspoken Harvard historian Professor Daniel Goldhagen, Pius was guilty in this instance of “having given the order to take [Jewish] children away from their parents and should be regarded as little better than a war criminal.”
The Catholic Church is moving quickly to canonize Pius XII, which is strange given all of the outstanding questions about his conduct. It’s almost as if some people want to see Pius XII made a saint before uncomfortable information is made too public for it to be possible. Obviously they have the right and authority to canonize whomever they wish — it’s their organization and they get to set the rules. However, don’t they also expect some measure of respect from others in the world?
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Engaging in partial reporting, this site reveals its bias against Christians and a complete disdain for Jews by using the holocaust as a weapon of defamation. Many peoples did nothing to help the Jews, yet where are the reports on them? Atheists certainly could have done more to help the Jews. Where was France when Poland was invaded? And why didn’t the French stop the atrocities before they escalated? Why did England arrive so late? And didn’t the United States stand by for far too long? But no, the reporter here could care less about the Jews, he just uses them to attack Christians.
For a better understanding see:
Rabbi David G. Dalin in “The Myth of Hitler’s Pope: How Pope Pius XII Rescued Jews From The Nazis” in which he defends Pope Pius XII against charges that the Italian pontiff was an anti-Semite and an ally of Nazi Germany.
Many peoples did nothing to help the Jews, yet where are the reports on them?
Because religion and religious critique are an important part of the topic of this site. You seem to think that writing things that are on-topic, but not things that are off-topic, is a sign of bias.
But no, the reporter here could care less about the Jews, he just uses them to attack Christians.
Christians were actively involved on every level of the Holocaust. Without their active participation, it couldn’t have occurred.
So, yes, it’s appropriate to criticize them.
For a better understanding see…
…a book that was written without the benefit of the sealed records which the Vatican hasn’t been released. That was the topic of this post, a topic which you didn’t address.
Steve D,
90% of the people of France are Catholic.
Hey, I completely understand why the Vatican did what it did. The Jews were competition, why help your enemy? They’d just convert people to Judaism and stuff.
Although, based upon the whole ‘we love everyone thing’ it does shed light on some hypocriticality eh?
“Engaging in partial reporting, this site reveals its bias against Christians and a complete disdain for Jews by using the holocaust as a weapon of defamation. Many peoples did nothing to help the Jews, yet where are the reports on them? Atheists certainly could have done more to help the Jews.”
Every secular nation (ala, not a theocracy) would be considered atheists helping to save Jews from Nazi. So I guess that means… Atheists saved them. An atheist entity anyway.
The point is, there were no independant atheist organizations (you know, due to the discrimination and all) and even today they’re not very big or powerful.
The Vatican was. The Vatican is. They didn’t do no shit compared to what they do. Kind of like today.
It’s not anti-christian bias, it’s more anti-christian truth. Albeit, this is more anti-establishment than the religion itself, which would have said ‘help them’ but they don’t pay no attention to it do they? Probably too busy with choir boys.
there ARE some important Lessons You people have just learned
THE POPE *& vatican SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH catholic HITLER demanding ]
ALL GERMAN bishops SWEAR on the HOLY GOSPELS & ON GOD COMPLETE & LOYALITY to catholic HITLER
read ART. 16 OF ….Hitler’s Concordat with the Catholic Church (1933)
http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_ss33co.htm
The facts prove…He was completely publicly…SILENT…concerning the murder of Jews….by Germany & Catholic…..Italy
…who { his RESPONSIBLE….NOBLE.. CHURCH MEMBERS ….helped Hitler…
..if he was A real CHRIST figure He would have begged for Italians…to not Join Hitler….*..& stop shipping out innocent….children men & woman to be tortured…
STOP ATTAKKING AFRICA
STOP ATTACKING Greece , & Other innocent small countries,,,FOR NO reason
No one attacked CATHOLIC ITalians & Germans
….the POPES church….. GERMAN catholic head,,,, bishops ordered …..[ by the pope ]…. to SWEAR on the HOLY GOSPELS & ON GOD COMPLETE & LOYALITY to catholic HITLER….
.Catholics in Germany, & italy,,,,, the POPES church~~ joined hitler…
The catholic sect….Damns….and condemns…the BIBLE BELEIVER / non catholic Christ ian…… as LOST. Headed for hell…
The catholic sect….Damns….and condemns…the BIBLE BELEIVER / non catholic Christ ian…… ~~~as DESERVING of whatever punishment the POPES can manipulate their frenzied mobs of Catholics to perform…~~~at whatever point or bowel of history at any given time…possible.
The catholic sect….Damns….and condemns…the BIBLE BELEIVER / non catholic Christ ian…… as serving ANOTHER EVIL JESUS….
Rome SAYS
‘Heretics / NOT MEMBERS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ….. DO NOT HOLD TO CATHOLIC DOCTRINE) & worship a GOD WHO IS A LIAR, & CHRIST WHO IS A LIAR.’
BUT Muslims & ISLAM //OOH they ALL SERVE OUR GOD…..and we Kiss and BOW down to their QURAN *& service ALLAH / satan
ROME HAS BURNED THOUSANDS OF BIBLES, translated in non italian……./,, claiming they were error……
burned people alive../ .hunted them down,,/ ,condemned,,& damned the translators.. & .banned their bibles…..
but kisses the quran…saying it is the book of the,,,,,God of the bible….& all catholics.
THIS is called hate by GODS STANDARDS,,,
The pope claims to hold up GODS STANDARDS
Y can we not look at their actions by the bible,…..& morality..& TRUTh
NOT Roman Tic Monogamanical EFFEMINATE childish blindness