Sometimes it is easy to judge people for their actions, but you may not know the whole story. It is important to first educate yourself on the facts of the situation. Although you might think you know all there is to know about a certain subject, there is always more to be learned. One person to consider with this is Pope Pius XII, The Vatican’s Pope during the time of World War II and the Holocaust. Although he didn’t say much outwardly and publicly, he did do things behind the scenes to aid the Jews and attempt to better the circumstances. The Pope and the Vatican, being in a position of power, should have taken greater action during the Holocaust, but his reasons behind his inaction were good-willed and preventive.
Background
In order to understand Pope Pius XII’s reasons for his actions during the Holocaust we must first look at the apology submitted by the Pope long after the war. Fifty five years after the Holocaust ended, Pope John Paul II quoted a public apology for the actions of the Catholic Church over the past 2000 years (PBS). People were unsatisfied by the Roman Catholic Church’s apology after the war because they felt it was not sincere enough (Kertzer). On March 12, 2000, Pope John Paul II stated: “(translated) We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant” (PBS). The Pope did not directly reference the events of the Holocaust, but he did make somewhat of an effort to make amends.
Defending the church
Pius XII tried to protect the Catholic Church from being further persecuted by Hitler and the Nazis. Even though he was expecte...
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Elie Weisel once said this: “I know and I speak from experience, that even in the midst of darkness, it is possible to create light and share warmth with one another; that even on the edge of the abyss, it is possible to dream exalted dreams of compassion; that it is possible to be free and strengthen the ideals of freedom, even within prison walls; that even in exile, friendship becomes an anchor.” Compassion is not something that is easy to understand, or even easy to show sometimes. The Holocaust was a difficult time to comprehend: how could one man have so much power and hate towards a society of people that he started a genocide? There may never be the right emotional explanation to describe the disturbing events that happened during the Holocaust, but Elie Weisel was able to share his. His message was that compassion and friendship can refrain someone from sinking so deep into a dark sea like the Holocaust.
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However, the Catholic Church has committed and continues to commit atrocities which even they recognise as immoral and wrong: the crusades of the 11th Century, doctrinal anti-Semitism that existed until 1964, and the failure of the Church to intervene in Hitler’s final solution are examples of anti-Semitic atrocities alone committed by the Catholic Church. Anti-Semitism in the Church is based on the idea that Jesus – King of the Jews – was sentenced to death by those of the Jewish faith: Jews killed their Lord and so they must be punished.
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Twenty years later after the end of the Holocaust, St. John XXIII, (former pope),realized he needed to end antisemitic thinking. He released Nostre Aetate in 1965 declaring that “Jews were not responsible for Jesus’ death”.Most importantly, Sister Rose Thering realized that to end antisemitic ways, Catholic textbooks needed to change their language about Jews. She successfully edited Catholic textbooks during Vatican II. In 1979, St. (former pope) John Paul the II became the first pope to ever visit a concentration camp, where he visited Auschwitz, praying for the Jewish people there. Even today, 2016, there is antisemitism with the battle over the Holy Land of
"A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust-Victims." A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust-Victims. University of South Florida. Web. 19 May 2014.
When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, many Jewish leaders grieved, but one Jewish man in particular, one of the most well known of the century, gave a heartfelt statement; Albert Einstein said that only “the Catholic Church protested against the Hitlerian onslaught on liberty.” With this, he feels a “great admiration for the church, which alone has had the courage to struggle for spiritual truth and moral liberty.” This feels vital to end upon, because it shows someone revered as smart and influential, thus admired by many, who sided with Pius. The pope has many defectors to this day, and even though he will never be given the credit he deserves, the ones who know the truth about Pope Pius XII will never forget his bravery and sacrifice that saved so many