Share
Email
PrintPope Benedict praises Pius
ROME (JTA) -- Pope Benedict XVI praised the controversial Nazi-era Pope Pius XII.
Benedict during a Mass Sunday at the San Lorenzo basilica here lauded Pius for aiding stricken Romans after a devastating Allied bombing raid during World War II. Thousands of local residents were killed and the basilica was severely damaged by the attack on July 19, 1943.
"The generous gesture on that occasion by my venerable predecessor, who immediately ran to help and comfort the stricken population in the smoldering rubble, cannot be erased from historical memories," the pope said.
This year marks 50 years since the death of Pius, who critics accuse of turning a blind eye to Jewish suffering during the Holocaust. Some Jewish organizations are among the critics. The Vatican says he worked behind the scenes to help Jews.
The Vatican has put Pius on track to beatification, the last step before canonization. Some Jewish groups have called for the opening of secret Vatican archives so Pius' wartime role can be clarified before Benedict allows the sainthood process to move forward.
This article was made possible by the support of readers like you. Donate to JTA now.
Discussions About this Article Elsewhere
Comments RSS Feed Reader Comments
Ratzinger has THE RIGHT to do in the Roamn Curia wathever He wants..
We should RESPECT HIS viewpoints into HISA homereligion.
Its True we do NOT like POPE PIUS XII to be HONORED… bit.. HES NOT the only one SAINT that HATED US..
We dont Have SAINTS...neither shouyld we SANTIFIE anybody exept ASHEM..
But we copy foreign methologies… Now we have a SEMI POPE.
In Jrslm AMIR´s Cleaverness!!and a Jewish SEMI CURIA??
We honnor TEACHERS… not Saints… Rabonim are regular people as do Lawyers, or Architects..or Doctors...not Saints.or Moshiajim…
And Pope does not have a VOTE to who becomes a Rabi.. or Semi Moshiaj .. so WE dont have to Widen the GAP between religions with such an PRIVATE theme..
They can Cannonize Fray Juan Torquemada… that wont CHANGE todays REALITY..
Jewdaism is about LIFE not about Afterlife !!
Leave a Comment
To comment on this article, you must first be registered with JTA.
Not Registered?
There are real advantages to a FREE registration with JTA.org:
- Make your voice heard through comments on articles
- Receive our e-mailed Daily Briefing, an invaluable quick-read
- Help decide what Jewish news matters most with interactive tools
Register Now
Already a JTA member?
- Opinion: Israel as a Jewish State
- Olympics hero Lezak finally opts for Maccabiah
- UJC taps Silverman as new executive
- Barak sees progress in Mitchell meeting
- So far, no new settlement building approved by Netanyahu gov’t
- Iranian blogger detained
- Field hockey family affair
- Pearl makes it from Knoxville to Ramat Gan
- The Chosen: Jewish members in the 111th U.S. Congress
- Jackson kids’ Jewish mother could regain custody
- Guard shot at Holocaust museum dies
- Biden: Israel can decide for itself on Iran
- Canadian politician sues Jewish groups
- In endorsing two states, Netanyahu adopts popular Jewish position
- Some Jewish settlers turning against Israel
- Mass converts pose dilemma for Latin American Jews
Trackback URL: http://jta.org/trackback/1001260/
No trackbacks have been created for this article, be the first to create one.