Q. Why didn’t the Catholic Church help the Jews who were being murdered by Hitler?
A. The Catholic Church and Pope Pius absolutely DID help the Jews and many other people persecuted by Hitler. The Jewish ambassador and author, Pinchas Lapide, in his book, Three Popes and the Jews, estimates that Pope Pius, through the Catholic Church saved 600,000 -860,000 Jews during WWII by ordering everyone to throw open the doors of the monasteries and convents to the Jews. The Vatican also held and sheltered thousands of Jews and others.
At first, priests, bishops, and the Pope spoke out against Hitler. And what do you think Hitler did?
Back down?
Out of respect for the Church?
Change his ways?
Repent? And go to confession?
Apologize?
Fear public opinion?
NO! NOT AT ALL. We know in our minds and hearts the character of Hitler and the SS. And we would expect that he would punish this kind of criticism–harshly. And that is exactly what he did. More innocent Jews and Catholics were murdered immediately after public criticism. In fact, the Jewish convert, Saint Edith Stein, was rounded up with other baptized Jews and executed in one of these reprisals.
Therefore, everyone, including the Pope saved the lives of all the people they could—-secretly. To do otherwise would have been to endanger more innocent lives.
Ironically, the very lack of public statements by Pope Pius XII are now being used to condemn him for inaction. So he would have been damned if he did and damned if he didn’t–Can you imagine the outcry if he had selfishly and self righteously raged against Hitler over and over, in spite of the fact, that reprisals took even more innocent lives? The Pope would have been bitterly condemned by everyone! This would have actually been the result IF he had done what armchair critics think he should have done.
Instead of that, he prudently chose to save all the lives he could save quietly and secretly. And so, he is damned for not speaking out. At the end of the war everyone, including the Jews, praised Pope Pius XII for all that he had done.
But today, sixty years later he is judged in popular opinion to have been cold and uncaring, even in league with Hitler. Nonsense!
If you are confused by conflicting information let me tell you a true story.
The Chief Rabbi of Rome, Israel Zollie, converted to the Catholic Church after the war. Not during the war, in order to save himself from the Nazi’s, but after the war. He, his wife, and daughter entered the Catholic Church. And do you know what name he chose for his baptismal name?
Eugenio…. not one of the most well known and popular of saint names….
Do you know what the baptismal name of Pope Pius XII was?
Eugenio…Pacelli.
Can anyone actually believe that this Rabbi not only converted to the Catholic Church but chose the pope’s own name for his own, at baptism, knowing Pope Pius did nothing?!!! It stretches credulity to believe that the Chief Rabbi of Rome, during World War II, who absolutely knew what the Pope did or did not do for his people, would do such a thing in spite of a do-nothing pope. Rather it speaks to just the opposite conclusion. Pope Pius’ exemplary and heroic behavior during such chaotic and murderous times greatly impressed the Rabbi. This culminated in his final conversion. And he did choose the name Eugenio in honor of the Pope.
If you would like to read the beautiful story of his conversion you can see it here. Or read his book Why I Became a Catholic by Israel Zollie.
The one and only appropriate response to Hitler after September 1939 was WAR. Britian and France saw this. FDR did all he could to aid the allies against a powerful conservative isolationist element in American politics.
Up until 1934, the Catholics of Germany did exactly what was needed, though ultimately they were not successful. While Germany was still a democracy, electoral means were used to fight Hitler. The Catholic Center Party (Zentrum) formed a coalition with the Socialists and the liberals to maintain democracy and keep both the Nazis and Communists out of power. This was very brave for all involved as the Catholics, socialists and liberals had very different views on many matters (including, as today, abortion). While this coalition kept democracy alive and Hitler out of power many years, in 1930 it lost its majority. The conservative party held the balance. Rather than throw their lot with the Catholic-Socialist-Liberal alliance, the Conservatives (who also controlled the Presidency) went with Hitler instead, putting him in government. With that, the rest is history and a very sad history.
The use of the term “conservative” and “liberal” is rather pointed and (likely intentionally) provacative, given what it was to “conserve” and what it was to be “liberal about”… Some explination might be due, but overall an interesting comment.
Worth noting, the Catholic vote – when there was a vote – was in constant opposition.
http://www.benedictinemissionhouse.com/ are German Missionary monks who bailed out of Germany when they saw the writing on the wall.
Simple, this is where I was when I dreamed about going to a nun’s garage sale and buying a rosary made of red crystals. It was in their gift shop and my mom bought it for me, thinking I should have it if I had dreamed about it.
“The use of the term “conservative” and “liberal”…”
Center-Right and Center-Left, if you prefer.
One interesting point to demonstrate the Pope’s subtle support for the Allies is his dispensation for all fighting men to forgo the Friday fast which was not extended to the fighting men in the Axis powers. The idea was for the Allies to keep up their fighting strength and moral. Anyone who has served in the military knows the importance of food to a soldier as one of the only remaining comforts found on the battlefield.
The main objection to Nazism is their extemely eugenic program (Darwininism as an applied science) couple with the spiritual foundation of their movement. While what they did to the Jews may have been kept a secret for at least a little while, none of the rest of their program was a secret. There is no way in the world the Pope would have been even remotely attached or supportive of a movement with occult spirituality as its foundation.