Ignorance of History is a Crime

Ignorance of History is a Crime

In answer to the editorial of the Houston Chronicle Editorial of May 30, 2001,

“Back into the breach: Pius and the Jews” by Cragg Hines.

In America today, one is able to express oneself without condemnation or loss of life, but in the scenario of World War II, the world was a different place. What could a public condemnation by Pius XII against Hitler have obtained in favor of the Jewish and Catholic populations? Would Hitler have turned and say “Sorry… I will not do it again?” I don’t think so.

Ignorance of history is a crime. Ignorance of history can lead to history repeating itself. The Vatican was and is a small parcel of land in the center of Rome, surrounded by Italian territory - which during World War II, was under the dictatorship of Mussolini, an ally of Hitler. If Pope Pius XII have officially spoken, the history books would have recorded the speech, but what would the consequence of that speech have been? The consequences of that speech would have disastrous. The Vatican without army to defend itself would have been swallowed whole by Mussolini and the Catholic Church as we know it would have been no more. A diplomatic mind has to weigh pros and cons before acting. - In war every action counts. You can win a battle and loose a war. -

The statements of Cragg Hines about Pius XII in the editorial of May 30, 2001, “Back into the breach: Pius and the Jews” are based on incomplete resources. Put yourself in the position of Pius XII and you will be able to understand his actions better. The love of Christ and humanity guided his actions.

I think that the following excerpt from Christ the King Lord of History by Anne W. Carroll will invite you to study history without preconceived notions.

“The Nazi extermination of Jews and others (sometimes referred to as the Holocaust) has given rise to an attack on the Catholic Church in general and Pope Pius XII in particular. The Pope is attacked for not explicitly condemning the Holocaust and thereby being in a way responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews.

But the facts of history show that the Pope was working against the Nazis and for the benefit of the Jews and that his decisions were beneficial to Christians and Jews alike, more beneficial in fact that an outright condemnation of the Holocaust.

Pope Pius XII was an experienced diplomat and did everything he could to forestall the war. After the invasion of Poland and the institution of persecution there, Pius XII wrote Summi Pontificatus, denouncing the deification of the state and recourse to arms. Heydrich forbade publication of the encyclical in Nazi-held territories. Pius XII also permitted Vatican Radio and L'Osservatore Romano (the official Vatican newspaper) to inform the world of Nazi atrocities in Poland. The persecution of the Church there was much worse than in Germany, and the Nazis wouldn't let Vatican officials conduct relief work in Poland.

In Germany, convents and monasteries were being closed, Catholic publications and organizations suppressed. The Nuncio in Berlin was forbidden permission to visit POW camps.

Thus we can clearly see that the Vatican and the Nazis were totally opposed to one another and that the Vatican made its assessment of Hitler clear. No explicit condemnation of persecution of Jews as such had been issued, but no objective observer could have any doubts as to where the Church stood.

But Pius XII was to do more than that. In his Christmas 1942 message, the Pope clearly condemned persecution based on race, and he condemned Nazi statism and the denial of individual worth. The Jews were not mentioned by name, but the message was clear. In April 1943 the Pope issued a message to the Slovak government condemning persecution of Jews specifically. In April 1944, Hungary, which was allied with the Axis, was told to round up Hungarian Jews. The Pope issued a strong statement condemning the action, and the Hungarian government refused to carry out the order.

But the Pope did far more than issue statements. When Adolf Eichmann ordered a death march of 20,000 Jews from Budapest to Theresienstadt for extermination, Cardinal Seredi and the Papal Nuncio organized relief vehicles to accompany marchers with food and medicine. They carried several thousand blank papal safe conduct passes and rescued about 2000 Jews. The Nuncio personally hid 200 Jews in his palace. Pius XII instructed churches, monasteries, and convents in Rome to take in Jews. These were extra-territorial property of the Vatican which the Italian police could not enter. Altogether, 55 monasteries and 100 convents in Rome were hiding Jews. Many Jews found refuge in the Vatican itself, including Dr. Zolli, the Chief Rabbi of Rome, who became a Catholic after the war. The Pope sent letters by hand to Italian bishops calling upon them to hide and rescue Jews. One of the main cities where this was done was Assisi, where the Franciscans coordinated hiding of Jews disguised as religious cloisters, and printed false identity papers for them enabling them to escape past the American lines. In Italy, in fact, the majority of Jews were saved. The Pope also set up Delasem, an organization for assistance to foreign Jews. Four thousand received aid from this organization.

To put the Pope's actions in perspective, here is a statement by a Jewish leader, Pinchas E. Lapids, Israeli Consul in Italy: ‘The Catholic Church saved more Jewish lives during the war than all the other churches, religious institutions and rescue organizations put together. Its record stands in startling contrast to the achievements of the International Red Cross and the Western Democracies… The Holy See, the Nuncios and the entire Catholic Church saved some 400,000 Jews from certain death’

Thus Catholics need not be ashamed or apologetic, but, rather, proud of the Pope's stature as a moral leader.”

Let us work together for a better world and study history, so the mistakes of the past may not be repeated and our children may grow in a world driven by the common good and respect of each other’s religions and values.

May God bless you.

Marta

June 3, 2001

Background to the writing of this article:

This article has been written in response to Mr. Hines editorial in the Houston Chronicle on May 30, 2001 which demonstrate a trend of misunderstanding of our Catholic Faith.

First Editorial on May 9, 2001

“John Paul’s silence can be deafening” by Cragg Hines in the Houston Chronicle, May 9, 2001, pp 32B.

The response from Bishop Fiorenza on May 11, 2001

“Hines defamed the Pope” a letter by Joseph . Fiorenza, Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in the Viewpoints of the Houston Chronicle, May 11, 2001, pp 43A.

Editorial on May 30, 2001 which prompted my writing:

“Back into the breach: Pius and the Jews” by Cragg Hines in the Houston Chronicle, May 30, 2001, pp 26A.

Please, make your opinion known to the Houston Chronicle. Misunderstanding of our Catholic faith can lead to division in the Ecumenical community.Marta

Read a Message from the Bishop

"Pope Pius XII and Hitler"
by Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, Dioceses of Galveston-Houston

Historical Dissertation on Pius XII

"Pius XII and the Holocaust, Myth and Reality"
By Jesus J. Chao

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