Chapter Three Pius XII and the Third Reich Hans K. Weitensteiner

Chapter Three Pius XII and the Third Reich Hans K. Weitensteiner On October 31, 1997, the Berliner Morgenpost published an article by Andreas English with the title, “Beati cation for Pius XII Under Debate – Critique Against the role of the Vatican during the Persecu- tion of the Jews by the Nazis.” The author reported that in the Vatican State, Pope John Paul II rapidly was losing popularity with many Cardinals. Despite great resistance, the Papal Commission for the Coop- eration between Jews and Christians organized a colloquium with the title “Roots of Anti-Judaism in the Christian Context.” The Pope received about 60 participants in Rome. Particularly auspicious for the experts concerning the situation was the complaint of the Jewish community in Rome that expressed their deep disappointment of not having been invited to this discourse. Nevertheless, one could foresee a clear condemnation of the politics of Pope Pius XII coming. Yet, many Bishops and Cardinals, so the author continued, urged the conclusion of the beati cation of Pius XII as a “heroic example.” In 1949, with the excommunication of all Communists, this Pope was supposed to have saved Italy from the being integrated into the Soviet sphere of in u- ence. Contrary to this, Jewish experts have criticized the role of Pius XII for decades. Only recently, the holocaust researcher Professor David Blumenthal, 108 • Hans K. Weitensteiner has once more stated: “a third of all victims could have been rescued if the Pope had excommunicated the perpetrators.” The critics of Pope Pius XII consider it possible that under John Paul II the beati cation procedure for Pius would be broken off de nitely. Paul II was the rst Pope to promote seriously reconciliation with the Jews. For the S rst time in the history of the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II visited the Synagogue in Rome in 1986. In 1994, under John Paul II’s guidance, the Vatican State began diplomatic relations with Israel. On April 1, 1998, the Berliner Morgenpost made an alarming announcement again. This time it had the title “Despite Silence Concerning the Holocaust: Vatican will Beatify Pius XII.” The newspaper reported that behind the walls of the Vatican State responsible people tried to reconstruct the history of the Rabbi Israel Zolli. This former head Rabbi of Rome, who died in 1956, had allowed himself to be baptized after the war and had converted to the Catholic faith. In his book, “Anti-Semetism”, which was written before he had converted, the head Rabbi wrote: “The Jews of the world owe much to his Holiness Pope Pius XII.” During his attempt to rescue the Jews of Rome from annihilation, the SS coerced and extorted the Jewish community. The SS promised the Jews that they would not be deported if they would deliver a ransom of 50 kilograms of gold to them. Despite making the greatest effort, the Jewish community brought together only 35 kilograms of gold. The Jews then turned directly to Pius XII. The Pope gave the order to deliver the missing 15 kilograms of gold. The gold of the Vatican however did not rescue the Jews of Rome. On the days of October 15–16, 1943, those Jews who could not escape in time were driven together by the SS and sent to annihilation camps. The Berliner Morgenpost reported that the daughter of Israel Zolli, Miryam Zolli, who lived in Rome, defend the reputation of her father, who the Jews did not like to remember any longer since his conversion to the Catholic faith. Rabbi Israel Zolli let himself be baptized taking the name Pius. Already in his time as head Rabbi in Triest, Israel Zolli had learned to speak German perfectly and would later on discourse with Pope Pius XII in the German language about the crimes of the Nazis. The statements of the Rabbi are supported through the Vatican sources, which were published in 1997. As a matter of fact, on September 20, 1943, the SS leader Herbert Kappler demanded the leaders of the Jewish community of .

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