One of the most admired, despised and entirely controversial Christians of modern times was Pope Pius XII. Many people adore Pius XII for his courage in the face of tyranny, defense of Catholic traditions and condemnation of international aggression. Others attack him endlessly on charges of being "soft" on the Nazi persecution of Jews. He is also considered by more than a few to be the last "traditional" Pope, some of whom argue that the Holy See has been vacant since the end of his reign in 1958. There is definitely no shortage of opinions on Pius XII. I firmly believe that, at some point in the future, historians will divide the history of the modern Church into two eras: one before the reign of Pope Pius XII, and one after. No matter what opinions you may have, few people could really deny that the Church has changed considerably from what it was before his time compared with today.
The future Pontiff, Eugenio Pacelli, was born in Rome in 1876. He joined the Church and was ordained a priest as Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli. His notable achievements were in the Vatican diplomatic corps and working on canon law. He was cardinal secretary of state during the reign of Pope Pius XI during which time he toured Europe, the United States and South America. After one of the shortest conclaves in history Cardinal Pacelli was elected Pope on March 2, 1939. His reign was immediately consumed with the impending outbreak of World War II in Europe. Contrary to what his enemies may say, Pope Pius XII took immediate action to oppose the aggression of the Axis powers.
Whenever enemies of the Church speak about Pius XII their favorite tactic is pointing out the lack of a specific Papal condemnation of the genocide against the Jews. Although it has been given wide publicity by the liberal press it is very easy to refute. Pope Pius XII did more than any other world leader to help the suffering people of World War II. He did not need to make speeches or write letters on the subject, he made his feelings known by taking action. It is also important to remember that his predecessor, Pope Pius XI was condemning Fascism back when President Roosevelt was refusing asylum to Jews and calling Mussolini a gentleman. Pope Pius XII issued Vatican passports to Jews to get them out of Nazi-controled areas. Jews were hidden in Papal property where Axis forces could not reach them. The Pope even gave sanctuary to many Jews in the Vatican itself. After the war the Jewish leaders themselves said they had no greater friend than the Christian Pope and the chief Rabbi of Rome converted to Christianity and served the Church devotedly for many years thereafter.
A condemnation of the kind everyone wanted was not only unneccessary but would probably have been harmful. No Jews would have been saved by it, Christians would have come under increasing persecution and the Holy See would probably have been occupied by Axis forces. Pope Pius XII also understood that Nazism was clearly doomed. The world was arrayed against the Nazi state but the equally contemptible U.S.S.R. was on the winning side, getting alot of Allied help and conquering nations rather than liberating them. The Pope knew that Hitler's days were numbered, but that Communism was an ideology that could poison diverse peoples all around the world and cause numerous other wars in future years. And, to the point of the Jews, while not named specifically, the Pope did issue a strong condemnation against all genocide, against killing the innocent of any race or religion in 1942. His support for the Jews in Hungary prompted the Hungarian government to refuse Hitler's demand that they deport all Jews for extermination. Clearly, the Pope was a friend to the innocent and persecuted of all peoples, Jews included.
Throughout his reign Pope Pius XII was a voice of peace and reason, of tradition and freedom for the peoples of the world. He was enemy to Communism, Nazism and modern humanist trends. When his pontificate ended in 1958, extremely large shoes were left to fill. |
