Between morality and diplomacy: the Vatican's "silence" during the holocaust

Journal of Church and State, Summer, 2008 by Frank J. Coppa

The reassessment occurred gradually. For more than a decade, Pius XII did not suffer the consequences of what some later deemed his "sin of omission" since the genocide was largely ignored by most states and statesmen at that time. Consequently, from the collapse of Nazi Germany until 1963, there was considerable praise and little open criticism of Pius XII's public neutrality during the course of World War II. In fact, at his death in 1958, Jews joined Catholics in praising this pope's wartime efforts on behalf of the persecuted. This positive evaluation was challenged as the magnitude of Hitler's genocide became manifest by the early 1960s and this pope's indirect criticism and limited actions were weighed against tie grave crimes perpetrated. The increased questioning, but still latent critique, of papal policy, was given broad exposure by Hochhuth's play "The Deputy (1963), which provided a dramatic if less than objective presentation of Pius XII's behavior and role during the genocide, now deemed a central feature of the Second World War. (13) This play, translated into more than twenty languages, reached a wide audience and depicted Pius as a calculating figure preoccupied by narrow clerical interests to the detriment of the Nazi victims. Denigrators of this pope found ammunition in the drama for their campaign against Pius XII's "silence," while his defenders noted its historical inaccuracies and failure to acknowledge this pope's humanitarian efforts on behalf of the persecuted.

The charges launched by Hochhuth's play engendered a controversy re-ignited during the projected beatification of Pius XII alongside John XXIII, at the turn of the century. Following the first eruption, Pope Paul VI, hoping to quell the criticism of the pope he had loyally served, allowed four Jesuits access to the closed Vatican archives for the Second World War--which led to the publication of the eleven volume Actes et documents du Saint Siege relatifs a' la seconde guerre mondiale (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1965-81). (14) Their publication, as well as the passage of time, saw the storm over Pius XII's "silence" temporarily subside-but not end. It dramatically resumed at the turn of the century during the discussion of the beatification of Pius XII, rekindling the controversy. Since a number of others had been equally, if not more silent than Pius XII, and provided less assistance to the persecuted Jews than he did, the condemnation of the pope provided a convenient means of avoiding individual and collective responsibility and therefore not readily abandoned. Some hoped that the availability of additional sources would resolve this psychological, ideological and polemical debate.

New memoirs such as those of Harold Tittmann, Jr., assistant to Myron C. Taylor, Roosevelt's personal representative to Pius XII, have been published, (15) providing valuable insights into this pope's thought and actions. Other important documents have surfaced, including the belated appearance and publication of the encyclical commissioned by Pius XI in 1938 against racism, (16) along with the disclosure of a secret agreement made in 1938 by Vatican officials without Pius XI's knowledge, promising not to interfere with Fascism's anti-Semitism. In addition, the contentious and ongoing debate has played a part in opening the files of the Vatican Information Service in the Vatican Archives, (17) and access to them has been facilitated by the publication of a two volume work. (18) The papal assistance provided the victims of the conflict has been dubbed a crusade of charity," by defenders of Pius XII, who posit he was far from an inactive spectator during the conflagration. (19)