Pope Pius XIIs Neutrality Essay -- Catholic Church, Holocaust, Hitler

Is it possible for a Pope to be infallible? When one looks at events, such as the Holocaust, the answer of this question becomes twofold. Were Pope Pius XII’s actions an attempt to save the Catholic Church from persecutions or a lack of understanding of Hitler’s ethnic cleansing? Nearly six million Jews were slaughtered during the Holocaust. When the world became aware of the mass murders that were taking place in Europe, World War II became a moral obligation rather than a fight for power. The Allied powers invaded Germany to save Jews and force the Nazis out of power in Germany. Many Nazi resistance groups, including Catholic groups, aided in the hiding of Jews in Europe. Surprisingly, the Vatican did not assist these resistance groups. Pope Pius XII neglected to help Jewish Holocaust victims and cowardly ignored the moral issue in order to remain neutral, avoid conflict in the war, and evade the persecution of more Catholics. **NEED A WAY TO INTRODUCE THIS PARAGRAPH In 1930, Pope Pius XI appointed Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, later Pope Pius XII, as Secretary of State of the Holy See. Pacelli assisted Pius XI in writing encyclicals, dealing with diplomatic matters and handling international affairs (Sanchez 16). In fact, Pius XI selected Cardinal Pacelli to agree to the Reich Concordat of 1933 on his behalf. The Reich Concordat of 1933 was an agreement signed by Cardinal Pacelli and Herr Franz von Papen, the Vice-Chancellor of the German Reich. This agreement allowed the Pope to impose laws on the German clergy and ensure the freedom of German Catholic dioceses, schools, religious Orders, congregations and parishes (Concordat). The German Reich agreed to these terms so long as the papacy encouraged the demolition of t... ...iation against Catholics in the occupied countries. Pope Pius XII’s distrust and fear of the Jews also played role in his silence (Cornwell 296). He believed that adversity followed the Jews and as such, he wanted to distance himself from them. When war began Pope Pius XII did not believe all the reports he was hearing about Nazi Germany. Often times, he considered such reports war propaganda by the allies (Cornwell 296). The silence of the Pope was deafening. If Pope Pius XII had readily shared his knowledge regarding the deportations of Jews and death camps with the rest of the world immediately upon learning this information, it is extremely possible that many lives would have been saved. This silent reaction of the papacy began the controversy of the moral obligations of Pope Pius XII and the omissions of any reactions to the atrocities taking place.