Essay: Ukraine war – Pope Francis should learn from his World War II predecessor’s mistakes in appeasing fascism
In an article first published on The Conversation, TIM LUCKHURST says Pope Francis should heed the mistakes of Pope Pius XII…
Catholic Church: The keeper of the Vatican’s secrets is retiring. Here’s what he wants you to know
NICOLE WINFIELD, of the Associated Press, speaks with Bishop Sergio Pagano, prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Archive…
Vatican defends wartime Pope Pius XII as conference honours Israeli victims of Hamas incursion
Rome, ItalyAP The Vatican secretary of state on Monday strongly defended World War II-era Pope Pius XII as a friend of the Jews as he opened an historic conference on newly opened archives that featured even Holy See historians acknowledging that anti-Jewish prejudice informed Pius’ silence in the face of the Holocaust. Cardinal Pietro Parolin’s defensive remarks […]
Letter showing Pope Pius XII had detailed information from German Jesuit about Nazi crimes revealed
Rome, ItalyAP Newly discovered correspondence suggests that World War II-era Pope Pius XII had detailed information from a trusted German Jesuit that up to 6,000 Jews and Poles were being gassed each day in German-occupied Poland, undercutting the Holy See’s argument that it couldn’t verify diplomatic reports of Nazi atrocities to denounce them. The documentation […]
“Silence is golden”: Vatican archivist defends Pope Pius XII’s response to the Holocaust
Vatican CityRNS For decades, historians have argued over the role played by the Vatican and Pope Pius XII in the persecution of Jews during the German Third Reich and the Second World War. Johan Ickx, director of the Vatican archives, defends Pius, saying the Pope chose to remain silent even as he instructed clergy around […]
Pope Francis puts Jews’ desperate wartime appeals to Pope Pius XII online
Vatican CityRNS After opening its trove of Pius XII’s papers to scholars in 2020, the Vatican is making available to the public almost 40,000 files containing appeals by Jews fearing Nazi persecution for help from the wartime Pope. The decision, announced on Thursday, follows reports by researchers and academics suggesting that the controversial Pope prioritised […]
Holocaust memorial chairman thanks Pope for opening archives
Vatican CityAP The chairman of Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial said he thanked Pope Francis on Thursday for giving scholars access to the Holy See’s World War II-era archives. Dani Dayan, who met with Francis at the Vatican, said the pontiff described the archives’ opening as “an issue of justice.” Francis visited the memorial during a […]
‘The Pope At War’: Vatican’s Pius XII archives begin to shed light on World War II pope
NICOLE WINFIELD, of Associated Press, reports on a new book about the role of Pope Pius XII during World War II…
Berlin’s debate over Pius XII has hit the streets
RNS The debate about the late Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust – what he knew and why he did not openly denounce it – has been hotly contested for decades in articles, books and conferences. In Berlin, it’s now taken to the streets. To one street, to be more precise. The Pacelliallee, a tree-lined […]
Catholic Church: Wartime Vatican archive shows how much Pius knew about the Holocaust, says researcher
TOM HENEGAN, writing for Religion News Service, reports on what researchers have found so far with regard to the role of Pope Pius XII during World War II following the opening of the Vatican Archives…