Correcting the Record on Pius XII

The slanders against Pope Pius XII have gone on long enough. Thankfully, things are beginning to change. And one of the leading voices defending the pope is a Jewish organization called Pave the Way Foundation. Director Gary Krupp says it is a Jewish responsibility to correct the injustice done against the wartime pope. Krupp calls the Pius XII slander the "worst character assassination of the 20th century" and a "media manipulation." Anyone with an honest and open mind who examines the documentation from World War II cannot help but realize that Pope Pius XII, far from being a villain who didn't care about the Jews, was a hero who was willing to be vilified for "silence" while he used all means at his disposal to save as many Jews as possible - 12,000 in Rome alone. The more you read the records, the more you see the truth about the pope's heroism. The film about Pius XII and the occupation of Rome starring James Cromwell, Under the Roman Sky, is a great introduction to the truth about this Servant of God. It's a great movie. If you haven't seen it, why not make it a Lenten activity and then begin to read the documents that tell the truth about this man who saved so many Jews and others from the hands of the Nazis. Venerable Pius XII, pray for us.





Check out:

Pave the Way Foundation

Pope Pius XII and the Jews

Who at the Vatican knew what when?

Tom Bethell has a terrific article in the June issue of The American Spectator which I posted on the Fr. Haley blog. It contains some shocking information about Vatican officials being bribed by the Legionairies of Christ and raises the question of how much Pope John Paul II knew about and enabled the sex abuse coverup. In view of the terrible episcopal appointments Pope John Paul made, the revelations are believable. I hope this slows down his fast track to canonization. Why the rush anyway? Pope John Paul II was a charismatic figure and he certainly suffered courageously, especially in the end, but a little historical perspective wouldn't hurt.

Let's see Pope Pius XII's cause move forward. That much maligned man stands as a floodlight in those dark days of the 20th century when all Europe was swallowed up by the black spider of the Third Reich.