RIGHTEOUSNESS UPHOLDS TRUTH: PIUS XII SYMPOSIUM.
On
a liturgy in St. Peter's Basilica in commemOctober XVI of presided at oration of 9, thePope 50thBenedict anniversary the death of Pope Pius XII. In his homily, the Holy Father spoke of the many remarkable aspects of the Servant of God's papacy (1939-1958). Among them, he noted how, during World War II, Pope Pius refused to escape Rome despite advice that he do so. With reference to the plight of the Jews at that time, Pope Pius "often acted secretly and silently" in order to avoid more severe retribution both upon them and upon the Church, Benedict said. When Pope Pius died, the Israeli foreign minister, Golda Meir, aptly summarized the countless expressions of gratitude by Jewish Holocaust survivors towards the Pontiff: "During the 10 years of Nazi terror, when our people went through the horrors of martyrdom, the Pope raised his voice to condemn the persecutors and commiserate with their victims." POPE BENEDICT CONTINUED BY REFERRING to the modern controversy over the public role Pope Pius assumed on the Jewish question. It is an "historical debate (... ) which has not always been the calmest, and which has prevented us shining a light" upon the broader significance of Pope Pacelli's pontificate, Benedict said. In a recent edition of Illside the Vatieall, I alerted readers to a symposium to be held in Rome's Palazzo Salviati from September 15 to 17. The event, entitled "Examining the Papacy of Pope Pius xn," was a marvelous success, one which involved Catholic and Jewish communities from across Europe, Israel and America. As a member of Europe's board of advisors for the Pave the Way Foundation, the primary organizer of the symposium, I was privileged to attend a briefing and reception on September 11th for some 50 guests (e.g. media, Parliamentarians and Vatican officials). As they mingled throughout the charming Villa Maria Regina Hotel, they felt sufficiently relaxed to be candid about their anxieties. I met Jewish representatives, for example, who spoke of the courage required to participate in the symposium. There was some pressure exerted upon some Jewish scholars and observers, they said, to boycott the symposium. These scholars grew fearful of appearing to compromise their colleagues' positions and their own professional reputation. For many who have embraced the myth of Pope Pius' anti-Semitism and Nazi collaboration, it is untenable to expect any reconsideration of his "villainy." Their attitude has become entrenched, and certainly not inclined to evaluate the overwhelming evidence disproving their preconceived mindset. SO
INSIDE THE VATICAN NOVEMBER
2008
By FR. BERNARD O'CONNOR
THE THREE DAYS OF THE SYMPOSIUM, however, seem to have reinforced the conviction that witnessing to the truth of this historical record is no mere academic exercise; it is a moral and religious obligation. Indifference to Jewish suffering was never the stance of Pope Pius. Quite the opposite. But those who would be silent today before the reprehensible assassination of his character risk sharing in an action which defiles Torah, New Testament and Koran alike. The Illternatiollal
Herald Tnbulle reported on the symposium's distribution of "a 200-page compilation of documents, diplomatic cables and newspaper clippings from the period - some of them previously unpublished - showing Pius did much to help Jews during the war" and was repeatedly thanked by Jewish leaders and Holocaust survivors. TIns WAS THE CLEAR SCENARIO PRIOR TO 1963. In that year, Rolf Hochhuth, a German playwright, published a play, The Deputy, which portrayed Pope Pius as bereft of all human decency and as opportunistic, ruthless and cowardly amidst the Jewish crisis. Scholarly consensus denounces the work as "ludicrous." But it came to pervade popular consciousness, directly contributing to the denial of Pope Pius' countless efforts on behalf of the victims of Nazi atrocity. What was behind Hochhuth's fabrication? Because the Soviet government was enraged by Pope Pius' condemnation of Communism, the KGB conspired to undermine the credibility of the Pope and to obliterate the reality of his generosity, indeed heroism. Hochhuth has been numbered among the willing accomplices. Post -1963, the world bought into a strategic and well-publicized lie. Sadly, that fallacy still thrives, as seen in the serious anti-Pius comments which have been attributed to Rabbi Cohen, the first rabbi to be invited to address the Synod of Bishops (La Repubbliea, October 7,2008, p. 18). THE DAY FOLLOWING, THE SYMPOSIUM PARTICIPANTS were received by Pope Benedict. The Jewish founder of Pave the Way, Gary Krupp, spoke on their behalf. He told the Holy Father that Pave the Way had conducted an extensive and objective investigation of the Pope Pius issue. The results have been "stunning" and in total contradiction to the prevalent misperception, he said. The acquired data will be made available "for further study." It attests that "Pius XII was instrumental in saving the lives of as many as 860,000 Jews from certain death at Nazi hands." In turn, Pope Benedict expressed profound gratitude that the symposium and Pave the Way have had the integrity to counter "ideological prejudices" and to advocate that Pope Pius' actual legacy be examined with a view to justice .•