Vatican defends move on World War II-era pope

[December 23, 2009]  VATICAN CITY (AP) -- The Vatican sought Wednesday to quell its latest public dispute with Jewish groups, saying the pope's decision to move Pope Pius XII closer to sainthood isn't an act of hostility against those who say he didn't sufficiently denounce the Holocaust.

In what has now become a routine effort at fence-mending, the Vatican issued a statement saying the German-born Benedict feels great respect for and friendship toward Jews -- a sentiment he hopes to reinforce during his first visit to Rome's synagogue next month.

Benedict sparked renewed outrage among some Jewish groups on Saturday by signing a decree on Pius' heroic virtues, paving the way for him to be beatified once a miracle attributed to his intercession is confirmed.

Some Jews and historians have argued Pius should have done more to prevent the deaths of 6 million Jews at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II.

The Vatican insists Pius used quiet diplomacy to try to save Jews and that speaking out more forcefully would have resulted in more deaths.

Jewish groups have denounced the decision, noting that they had previously asked Benedict to suspend his cause until the Vatican archives on his 1939-1958 pontificate are opened to outside scholars. The Vatican has said those archives won't be catalogued and ready until 2014 at the earliest.

In its statement Wednesday, the Vatican confirmed that it would still take years for the archives to be opened and that Benedict's decision is not intended to limit discussion on Pius' decisions.

But it repeated that as far as the Vatican was concerned, Pius showed great "attention and preoccupation" over the fate of Jews, "which is widely established and recognized even by many Jews."

It added that the decree on his "heroic virtues" wasn't so much a historical assessment of his pontificate as a confirmation that he had led a deeply Christian life.

The decision was the latest in a series of perceived affronts that have roiled Catholic-Jewish relations in recent years.

It followed on the heels of Benedict's rehabilitation of a Holocaust-denying bishop in January, what some say was a missed opportunity during a visit to Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in May and his 2007 decision to revive the old Latin Mass, which includes a prayer for the conversion of Jews.

In some of those cases, the Vatican responded to the ensuing criticism by issuing clarifications, explanations or apologies after the fact -- including a remarkable papal admission that mistakes were made when Benedict lifted the excommunication of Bishop Richard Williamson, who had denied the full extent of the Holocaust.

During the pope's trip to Israel, the Vatican spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi had to come to the pope's defense amid criticism he didn't mention the words "Nazi" or "murder" at Yad Vashem, or apologize for Catholic anti-Semitism, as Pope John Paul II had during his Israeli visit.

Lombardi said Benedict "can't mention everything every time he speaks."

In the case of Pius, Jewish leaders have acknowledged that beatification, the first major step toward possible sainthood, is an internal church matter and that it's not for Jews or anyone else to tell the church who should or shouldn't be a saint.

But considering Benedict's own past -- he was forced to serve in the Hitler Youth and deserted the Nazi army -- and his stated aim of continuing to improve relations with Jews, they have said more sensitivity is called for in dealing with the disputed figure.

Pius, a Vatican diplomat in Germany and the Vatican's secretary of state before being elected pope, did denounce in general terms the extermination of people based on race and opened Vatican City to refugees, including Jews, after Hitler occupied Rome in 1943.

But he didn't issue public indictments of Jewish deportations, and some historians say he cared more about bilateral relations with Nazi Germany and the rights of the Catholic church there than saving Jewish lives.

The pope signed the decree along with a similar decree recognizing the virtues of his immediate predecessor, John Paul II. This led many to believe the two causes would proceed together -- and caused further outcry since John Paul was admired by many Jews.

The statement said there was no reason to believe that any possible beatification would take place at the same time.

[Associated Press; By NICOLE WINFIELD]

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