By Ronald Rychlak, Ph.D. (Our Sunday Visitor, 2000) In October 2000, the International Catholic-Jewish Historical Commission released to great publicity a “preliminary report” of its investigation into the actions of Pope Pius XII and the role of the Vatican in responding to the horror of the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. The committee‘s report was [...]
By Robert P. Lockwood (March 2000) Pope John Paul II recently issued a half-hearted apology for Catholics’ failure to oppose the torture and killing of six million Jews during the horrible Holocaust, but at the same time he tried to excuse Pius XII, the pope at the time, for his silence and collaboration." – Dr. Al [...]
By Sr. Margherita Marchione, Ph.D. (Paulist Press, 2000) In the last 30 years, above all with the pontificate of John Paul II, giant steps have been made toward progress in dialogue between Jews and Catholics. To prepare a serious scholarly analysis on Pius XII, several scholars were called to participate in a Commission in order to [...]
By Sr. Margherita Marchione, Ph.D. Pope Pius XII was not a German collaborator nor was he pro-Nazi. Neither was he inactive nor silent. As a member of the Catholic Church, I resent the blatant accusations against the diplomacy of the Pope and the Church during World War II. This is not only indecent journalism but it [...]
Ronald J. Rychlak Catalyst, December 1999 John Cornwell's new book, Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII, turns out to be a deeply flawed attack on Pope John Paul II. That's right, the final chapter is actually an attack on the current plaintiff. Cornwell is disturbed by John Paul's "conservative" positions on celibate clergy, women priests, [...]
Sister Margherita Marchione Catalyst, June 1998 With the issuance of the Vatican document, "We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah," voices adversely judging Pope Pius XII’s alleged "silence" have increased. Some writers are igniting flames of hatred by claiming that the Catholic Church is responsible for the Holocaust. The evidence is overwhelmingly to the contrary. Through [...]
By James Bogle Reprinted with permission from The Salisbury Review, Sp Over the last year a number of commentators have sought to rehash old and ill-informed accusations in an attempt to undermine the reputation of Pope Pius XII. His war-time effort to save Jewish lives has, amazingly, been the principal area of attack. The BBC programReputations, [...]
Christmas 1941 and 1942 On Christmas Day, 1941, the New York Times, commenting on Pius XII’s Christmas Message, carried the following editorial: The Pope’s Message The voice of Pius XII is a lonely voice in the silence and darkness enveloping Europe this Christmas. The Pope reiterates what he has said before. In general, he repeats, although with [...]
