Inside NCR - Kurt Waldheim made a papal knight - Editorial

National Catholic Reporter, July 29, 1994 by Tom Fox

Pope John Paul last spring, in an act of friendship and reconciliation, invited Elio Toaff, the chief rabbi of Rome, to the Vatican as guest of honor at a concert given by the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to honor the memory of victims of the Holocaust. That invitation followed the Vatican's recognition of Israel last January. Throughout his pontificate, this pope has tried to enhance Jewish-Christian ties.

Within this context, the appointment of Kurt Waldheim as a papal knight is all the more bewildering (page 11). Jewish leaders, keenly aware of John Paul's recent Jewish initiatives, expressed surprise and muted criticism. They recall this is the same Waldheim who concealed for 40 years his military service in World War 11, claiming in his memoirs he was studying law in Austria, when in fact he was doing intelligence work in the Balkans and Greece.

When evidence to the contrary was revealed, Waldheim claimed he knew nothing about the deportation of Greek Jews and others to the death camps or the execution of allied commando prisoners of war.

In 1988, a commission of European historians concluded that even though he did not have executive powers, as a second lieutenant, Waldheim "was excellently informed about the events of the war thanks to his education, his knowledge and as a result of the glimpses he gained as a translator in decisive events of the command. especially from his activity in the central intelligence service of his army group, and his physical proximity to the events. ... Thus his general insights were comprehensive. They related not only to tactical, strategic and administrative orders. but in some cases also included actions and measures that contradicted military law and the principles of humanity" (The New York Times, Feb. 10, 1988).

Vatican Affairs Writer Peter Hebblethwaite notes in this issue the personal bonds that have existed between Pope John Paul and Waldheim, dating to the early days of the pontificate. It was Waldheim secretary-general of the United Nations from 1972-1981, who first invited the new pope to address the United Nations. In the pope's first U.S. homily at Boston Common on Oct. 1, 1979, he said: "I am here because I wanted to respond to the invitation that the secretary-general of the United Nations first addressed to me."

I suspect that John Paul, who often operates on more than one level, may be sending us a message that speaks to forgiveness and redemption. If this is the case, however, it would seem contrition would have to be involved. And this is not exactly the word one associates with Waldheim's attitude toward the charges historians have leveled against him.

And so, for now, questions - important questions - linger.