Posted on 05/30/2010 2:14:09 AM PDT by GonzoII
NEW YORK, MAY 28, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Pave the Way Foundation has received permission from the Vatican's semi-official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, to publish online its archived editions from 1938 to 1945.
The New York-based foundation, a non-sectarian organization whose mission is to identify and try to eliminate obstacles between religions and to initiate positive gestures in order to improve interreligious relations, has been working to discover the facts regarding Pope Pius XII and his efforts to help Jews during World War II.
As part of this effort, it has been working to retrieve and publicize as many documents as possible to expose the truth of the secret and public action of the Holy See during World War II.
The foundation requested permission to place on its Web site the wartime L'Osservatore Romano editions, which have only been available previously in the newspaper's archives in Rome.
Elliot Hershberg, chairman of Pave the Way Foundation, affirmed that "this is a very big step in educating the legitimate historians worldwide."
He explained, "There have been many references that have been made about articles in L'Osservatore Romano over the years, both positive and negative, and now these can be verified online."
The L'Osservatore Romano editions will add some 24,000 pages to the extensive online library, which includes video interviews aimed at helping the public understand the actions of the Holy See during that time period.
(Excerpt) Read more at zenit.org ...
Ping.
Ping.
For a small example: in 1940 Pius XII mediated negotiations which could have resulted in Hitler's overthrow by German military officers.
At the same time, and again in 1943, Hitler ordered plans to kidnap or kill the Pope.
The remaining historical question is whether the Pope "coulda', shoulda', woulda'" used a different strategy to better effect?
Naturally his defenders say: No! He did the best possible under utterly impossible circumstances.
Skeptics are not convinced, but if you wish to claim the Pope "coulda', shoulda', woulda'" more publically condemned Nazi atrocities, then you must first consider the following:
If Hitler had ordered the kidnapping and/or murder of Pius XII, how would any of the Church, Christians or Jews have been better off?
Because that's what it all comes down to.
Indeed, in 1943 Hitler did order the Pope's kidnapping, but his order was miraculously ignored. It came that close.
How would more Jews or Catholics have survived the Holocaust if Pius XII had been murdered?
It's what skeptics have to answer.
I doubt if they can...
Thank for the ping!
thanks.
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