Pius XII and the Holocaust: Understanding the Controversy

by José M. Sánchez

Pope Pius XII's alleged silence in the face of the destruction of the European Jews during World War II has been the subject of a fierce controversy that has continued unabated ever since Rolf Hochhuth's The Deputy made the charge so spectacularly in 1963. Numerous critics have accused Pius of everything from deliberate anti-Semitism to collusion with the Nazi regime, while equally partisan defenders have argued that his silent diplomacy saved hundreds of thousands of Jews and other innocent victims from Nazi terror. So contentious has Pius' role become that the phrase "the silence of Pius XII" has taken on a life of its own, beyond the facts. In this highly accessible work, José M. Sánchez offers a new approach to the controversy. He discusses the reasons given for Pius' behavior by the significant authors who have contributed to the dispute and evaluates their findings in the light of the published documents. He studies the controversial events that critics have cited to prove their contentions about the Pope, from his role in the negotiation of the German concordat of 1933 to the end of World War II in 1945. Sánchez provides a full examination of Pius' public and private comments on the war and the destruction of the European Jews. This analysis moves outside the traditional views to rephrase the issues. It is the first work to clearly and completely summarize the basic charges and defenses. It is also the first to bring to the dispute a full treatment of Pius' personality in the context of the institutional framework within which he operated. With a conclusion that summarizes the findings and offers the author's judgment on the issues, this study will enable readers to evaluate and understand one of the most heated controversies of modern times. José M. Sánchez is professor of history at Saint Louis University. He is the author of several works, including The Spanish Civil War as a Religious Tragedy . REVIEWS "One of the hottest arguments among twentieth-century historians concerns Pope Pius XII's response to the Holocaust. Was Pius Hitler's Pope, as John Cornwell's 1999 best-seller styled him? Or was he, as his apologists insist, the foremost defender of all the peoples Nazism targeted for destruction? Sanchez measures both positions' claims against the available evidence. He is hampered by the same 75-year lock on papal documents that frustrates other researchers (Cornwell gained permission to see some of Pius' papers but, Sanchez argues, viewed them through the lens of disapproval) but not by preconceptions. He sketches Pius' life, the issues, and existing sources of information, then assesses what Pius could have known about the Holocaust, parses his statements about World War II, considers various motives advanced to explain his policies, discusses his personality, and imagines the effects had Pius strongly protested Nazi oppression, especially of the Jews. He concludes that Pius' dual responsibilities as vicar of Christ and leader of the church became impossible to reconcile. Indispensable for, as the subtitle says, understanding the controversy"― Booklist

Genres: History, Religion

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2002

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN EXAMINATION OF THE EVIDENCE ABOUT POPE PIUS XII'S ACTIONS IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR

José Sánchez is professor of history at Saint Louis University. He wrote in the Preface to this 2002 book, "My approach is to examine the rationale for Pius' behavior as explained by the scholars and popular writers, make some judgment as to their use of the sources, offer my own opinions, and let the reader make up his or her own mind." (Pg. viii)

He added in the Introduction, "This study of Pius will ... look at the Pope's behavior and motivation in the context of the events as they happened rather than in the abstract. It is only by doing so that we can understand why Pius acted the way he did; it should also help to clarify the meaning of such terms as the 'silence' of the Pope and to lay to rest some of the myths that surround the enigma of Pius and the Holocaust." (Pg. 13)

Of the situation in 1943, he asks, "did Pius continue to believe that Hitler might be open to mediation?... The German conspirators of the July 20, 1944 plot, believed that a compromise was possible with the Allies... They Allies they contacted told them to go ahead, but said they could make no prior commitments. If the German conspirators accepted this proviso and went ahead with their plans, it is difficult to fault the Pope for making the same assumption---namely that a compromise was not out of the question.

"Pius was a trained diplomat and he should have seen the possibilities and contingencies; on the other hand, there were other equally trained professionals who did not; furthermore, Pius' sources of information were not as great as is generally believed... the chance that at any time Hitler might be overthrown and an anti-Nazi government come to power could have made compromise seem likely. This possibility must have been a motive for Pius to keep the door open to mediation. All historians agree that Pius wanted to mediate the war and therefore was less critical of the Germans than he should have been." (Pg. 110-111)

He notes, "Was the behavior of the bishops---either helping Jews or failing to help... the result of orders from the Pope? Were there specific orders? There is some evidence that Pius sent secret orders to the Italian bishops to help the Jews... It does seem, though, that despite the absence of written documentation, such a large-scale rescue could not have been attempted without implied papal approval, and certainly Pius must have approved the use of Vatican buildings, including his summer residence on Castelgandolfo, for the protection of the Jews." (Pg. 148-149)

He notes in conclusion, "In one sense, the argument over Pius has less to do with his alleged silence and more to do with his diplomacy; for, if he had been successful in rescuing large numbers of Jews and other innocent victims, then his silence would have been justified. Indeed, this is the argument made by his defenders; unfortunately, they have no way of documenting the numbers of those who were in fact saved by papal intervention." (Pg. 173)

He adds, "What seems apparent is that throughout the years of controversy, the critics of Pius (and his defenders, less so) have tended to make their judgments less on the basis of an impartial reading of the documents than on their preconceived sentiments. This situation probably will not change." (Pg. 178-179)

While not the most "detailed" study of the issue, this book will certainly be of keen interest to anyone studying the controversy.