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The Southern Cross, Page 4
Thursday, May 4, 2000
By Father Michael J. Kavanaugh
he recent visit of Pope John Paul II to the
Middle East, and especially to the nation of
Israel, was the fulfillment of his own long-held
desire to make a pilgrimage as pope to that part
of the world which is sacred to Christians, Jews,
and Moslems.
His visits to a variety of holy places—the Basi
lica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, and the
Western Wall of the courtyard of the great
Temple of Solomon—provided him with an
opportunity for personal prayer and reflection
during this Jubilee Year in which the focus of the
Catholic Church is on forgiveness and reconcilia
tion between individuals, communities, nations,
and peoples.
One of the most moving moments on his jour
ney came when John Paul prayed at Yad Vashem,
the memorial in Israel to those who were execut
ed by the Nazis during World War II. Having
lived himself under the persecution of the Nazis
(and later the Communists) in his native Poland
and having had many Jewish friends during his
childhood days in Wadowice, this pope is keenly
aware of the sufferings of the Jews and all the
“undesirables” targeted by the Nazi regime for
extermination.
This pilgrimage by a Catholic pope to a site
commemorating the Jews who died in World War
II understandably stirred up memories and dis
cussion of the life of another pope, Pius XII, who
was the leader of the Catholic Church from 1939
to 1958. Despite overwhelming documentary evi
dence to the contrary, many news stories in a
variety of media have perpetuated the myth that
Pope Pius XII was “silent” in the face of the
effort of the Nazi government to exterminate the
Jews, and that he and the Catholic Church may
even have given tacit approval to the elimination
A tale of two popes
of the Jewish people in continental Europe.
The evidence, taken directly from the Vatican
Archives, has been published in twelve volumes
under the title Actes et Documents du Saint-Siege
relatifs a la Seconde Guerre Mondiale (The Holy
See’s Acts and Documents regarding the Second
World War) and proves beyond a shadow of a
doubt that Pope Pius XII and the leaders of the
Church, especially her diplomatic representatives
in virtually every capital city in Europe, actively
and forcefully campaigned for peace, for just
treatment of prisoners and refugees, and for those
persecuted simply because of their ethnicity or
religion.
“The evidence . . . proves beyond a
shadow of a doubt that Pope Pius
XII and the leaders of the Church
actively and forcefully campaigned
for peace, for just treatment of
prisoners and refugees, and for,
those persecuted simply because of
their ethnicity or religion. ”
Trained as a diplomat and, therefore, accus
tomed to disappointments, refusals, and failures,
Pope Pius did not harbor any illusions about his
ability to influence the course of evil chosen by
the Nazi government in Berlin. Warned by the
Red Cross that public protests gained nothing
and could actually harm those he was trying to
assist, Pius chose a more subtle, and arguably
more effective, approach for expressing his
opposition to the evils of World War II, including
the execution of the Jews.
Robert M. W. Kempner, the former United
Nations Delegate to the Tribunal of War Crimes
at Nuremberg and a person well aware of the
mentality of the Nazi leaders, wrote, “Any propa
ganda attempt undertaken by the Catholic Church
against Hitler’s Reich would not only have been
a provoked suicide, but would have hastened the
execution of still more Jews and priests.”
Pope Pius XII was not silent in the face of the
Holocaust or the horrors of World War n. In an
editorial published on Christmas Day, 1941, the
New York Times praised him for his efforts, say
ing, “The voice of Pius XII is a lonely voice in
the silence and darkness enveloping Europe this
Christmas.... He is about the only ruler left on
the continent of Europe who dares to raise is
voice at all.”
Pius was not an anti-Semite as some have ac
cused, nor was he a cooperator with the Nazi
regime. In 1937, while serving as the Vatican’s
Secretary of State, he helped draft an encyclical
for Pope Pius XI condemning Nazism as un-
Christian. The encyclical Mit brennender Sorge
was smuggled into Germany, printed there, and
read from the pulpits of Catholic Churches across
the country.
Pope John Paul’s visit to the Holy Land in this
Jubilee Year of reconciliation has helped push
open a door between Christians and Jews that has
been barred for centuries by persecution, mis
trust, and oppression. False accusations against
his predecessor, Pope Pius XII, can only harm
this moment of healing and perpetuate animosity
and rancor where mutual respect and understand
ing should, by God’s grace, prevail.
Father Michael J. Kavanaugh is pastor of Our
Lady of Lourdes, Port Wentworth, and Saint
Boniface, Springfield, as well as diocesan
Director of Ecumenism.
601 E. Liberty St.
Savannah, GA
31401-5196
Thanks
Bishop J. Kevin Boland received the following letter from the Executive
Director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development:
Dear Bishop Boland:
On behalf of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, I am writ
ing to thank you and all of the faithful of the Diocese of Savannah for your
very generous contribution of $33,022.96. This support reflects the strong
commitment of Catholics in Savannah to helping the poor help themselves
to create better lives and stronger communities.
Over the past thirty years, through your generous support, the Catholic
Campaign has consistently strengthened its efforts to “help people help
themselves.” CCHD-funded groups uphold the sacredness of human life
and dignity by encouraging self-sufficiency and by alerting all citizens to
the root causes of poverty and other injustices in our communities. Among
the accomplishments reported by CCHD-funded groups during the past
year were:
► Families moved into their first homes in newly constructed affordable
housing.
► Young people in the Midwest persuaded their city council to demolish
dilapidated buildings that provided haven for drug dealers.
► Coal-mining families worked together to prevent and clean up envi
ronmental damage caused by mining.
► Six hundred people from diverse backgrounds in a northeast city met
with the mayor and chief of police to improve police/community relations.
In his World Day of Peace Message for the Year 2000, Pope John Paul II
called on all of us to build peace “day by day with [God’s] help, through
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works of justice and love.
“At the beginning of a new century, the one issue which most challenges
our human and Christian consciences is the poverty of countless millions
of men and women ... Let us look at the poor not as a problem, but as peo
ple who can become the principal builders of a new and more human
future for everyone.”
The people of Savannah have joined in solidarity with the poor of our
country with their gifts to the Catholic Campaign for Human Develop
ment. We are grateful for your leadership and for the invaluable coopera
tion of your Diocesan Director, Sister Jacqueline Griffith, SSJ, whose part
nership with us makes the CCHD’s mission a reality. This contribution
represents a 34% increase over last year's gift. Many thanks to your clergy,
religious, and laity for this increase which is essential to meeting the needs
of the poor.
Gratefully in Our Lord,
Rev. Robert J. Vitillo
Executive Director
Catholic Campaign for Human Development
On Elian
Dear Editor:
I enjoy reading The Southern Cross, and it is past time for me to say so.
The editorial regarding the inexcusable SWAT team Miami raid (4/27)
should tweak concern in all of us. Thanks for your good work.
John Henry Murphy
Savannah
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