Posted on 12/22/2009 11:16:51 AM PST by markomalley
At this time, as the possible canonization of Pope Pius XII moves forward, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum repeats its call for the opening of all wartime material from the Vatican archives, so that scholars can finally begin the important work of examining and evaluating this crucial aspect of history.
The response of Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII) to the policies of the National Socialist regime - notably his failure to condemn publicly the genocide of the European Jews - has long been the topic of debate and controversy. At the time of the Holocaust, questions about Pius XII’s public silence were raised by Myron Taylor, the U.S. representative to the Vatican, and Taylor’s assistant Harold Tittman, who requested that the Holy See speak out on the issue.
The debate about Pius XII concerns both historical facts and larger moral questions. An understanding of his response to the murder of Europe’s Jews and the moral evaluation of his actions depend upon solid historical research. Such research will be possible only when all Vatican archival material from 1933 - 1945 is completely open and available to scholars of all disciplines. While the Museum has copies of some Vatican records prior to 1939 and there are other relevant archives, the opening of the post-1939 archival material is essential to a proper assessment of Pius XII. Only then will a sound and accurate portrait of his moral leadership during the Holocaust be possible.
A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum was created to inspire leaders and citizens to confront hatred, prevent genocide, promote human dignity and strengthen democracy. Federal support guarantees the Museum’s permanence, and donors nationwide make possible its educational activities and global outreach.
And yet the Catholic bashing goes on.
This forum has seen some amazingly hostile threads on the issue of that pope’s role/non-role in the Shoa, largely possible due to lack of solid information.
If there is nothing of concern (and I suspect there is not; given the pope’s situation in Mussolini’s Italy he was effectively impotent) there is no harm in opening the archives.
The openess will put the damper on the rumors that thrive when information is lacking.
Actions speak louder than words.
I never cease to be amazed by the liberal fascination with "stepping forward" and "speaking out" as if blabbering was all that mattered.
Real men know that sometimes the time comes to shut up and do ... effete pansies just endlessly blather and drivel.
That is an incredibly naive statement.
Sorry, but it is. People form their opinions and, once formed, do not let facts trouble them. Look at the Global Warming debacle for a classic example (or at any number of FR religion threads).
Last I heard, the Archives are open and being catalogued.
***
If all that is true, why dredge up something that happened more than 60 years ago? This is like slavery...we are being chronically reminded of it, and it's used as an excuse for every adversity in a person's life.
Not to trivialize slavery or the holocaust — terrible chapters in mankind's history — but geez, GET OVER IT.
Sure, there are idiots in this world on all sides.
Don’t let them keep you down.
I don't.
But I also don't fool myself that doing what you suggest will change ANYBODY's mind.
Most people haven’t made up their minds, I would think.
Maybe.
But those with the loudest voices already have.
This is a huge 'forgotten chapter' that deserves to be told in detail.
Maybe so. There were certainly many good gentiles.
Most of my paternal family fled on their own from Vichy France, blazing their own trail, replete with dead cops and border guards. Pretty ugly exit.
My maternal family hid in a series of masonic lodges through Poland and many churches, of all kinds. Several (that did not make it out) were in camps with Roman Catholics and Jehovah’s witnesses.
Loud does not equal informed.
That right there is real, living, breathing history. I hope your family is able to get the stories all told while the principals are still alive to do the telling.
Agreed.
“Real men know that sometimes the time comes to shut up and do...”
Real men also know that sometimes continuing to blather can get in the way, or even make impossible the ability to do what is necessary. They also know that they may very well be condemned for doing what is right rather than yammering on about it.
And they do the right thing anyway.
sitetest
But, no, it won't put a stop to the calumnies against Pius XII, sorry to say, no matter what it contains. For some people, the Pope is guilty until proven innocent, and cannot be proven innocent.
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