Pope Benedict XVI hasn’t always had the greatest reputation for being pro-Jewish. In fact, he was a known member of the Hitler Youth when he was a young German man, which practically screams “anti-Semitism†(though whether he joined voluntarily and/or participated in their rituals is open to debate).
Let’s take a look at a latest sticking point between the pope and the Jews. After death, individuals who were believed to be saintly are beatified, a process that comes before official sainthood is declared. One of the current candidates for beatification is Pope Pius XII, who was pope during the Holocaust. Stories and reports have long circulated that Pius XII hardly defended the Jews during World War II. Indeed, he apparently did not even denounce the Nazis for their crimes in 1943. His position was rather indifferent, scholars reason, in a time when he should have taken side with the Jews and perhaps could have convinced some to act out against war crimes (though the Germans were largely Protestant, the Polish and other conquered Eastern European peoples had large Catholic populations). Rabbis are calling for a halt in the beatification of Pius.
One particular argument by Professor John Ahtes of the Catholic Immaculata University is interesting. The professor states, “Why would anyone assume that the pope saying more would have saved more? And why single out Pius XII?†Why would anyone target Pius XII as being at fault for the deaths of Roman Jews? The answer is clear: he was pope during Hitler’s rule of terror. Moreover, if the pope had spoken out clearly against Hitler, it is possible that Catholics in Hitler’s conquered territories and even in Germany would have followed suit. Hitler was their leader, yes, but the pope is considered by most Catholics to be the Vicar of Christ, the Lord’s will on Earth. What holds more weight to a religious Catholic: some mustachioed guy in Germany barking out commands or the physical manifestation of the divine on Earth? I’d say the pope would. Even if Hitler was holding the physical reins, the pope held the spiritual ones for Catholics.
Professor Ahtes continues on to say that Pope Pius may have not officially opposed Hitler, but he clearly did on moral grounds privately. “The fact that Pope Pius XII hid thousands of Jews on his own property at Castel Gandolfo to save them from almost certain death speaks volumes,†he writes. In fact, research shows that Pius XII may have indeed hidden Jews at his summer residence to protect them. Still, numbers of those he rescued may be greatly exaggerated.
Some other results have become apparent to indicate that Pius may have secretly aided the Jews. “Pius XII also used his representatives throughout Europe to intervene on behalf of Jewish victims,†said Ronald Rychlak, author of Righteous Gentiles, a book defending Pius. Actions Rychlak cites as proof of Pius’s defense of the Jewish communities include pro-Jewish statements made on the Vatican Radio, his creation of the Pontifical Relief Commission to aid war victims, and first-hand accounts that he lived a life of “virtue.”
The ultimate truth of Pius’s activity during the Holocaust, though, is that he did not publicly condemn the Nazis. Whether or not that would have made much of a difference is subject to debate. Whatever reasons he may have had for doing so or not doing so is also up in the air. The facts remain, however. As Kevin Madigan writes in his article, “Judging Pius XII,†the pope should be neither beatified nor entirely condemned. Even though he did make some efforts on behalf of the Jews, he could have done much more.
