Through the Eyes of Pope Pius XII

Historical Investigation 1 Siobhan Morris Student Number IB History 11 HL Mr. Connors January 10, 2011 Word Count: 1997

A. Plan of Investigation
The aim of this investigation is to determine whether Pius XII, Pope during the Second World War, actually condoned the actions of Hitler and the Nazi party. This will be done through close analysis and judgment of Pius XIIs words, actions, and particularly his writing and published works during the war. Two sources used in the investigation will also be evaluated: Pope Pius XII: Architect for Peace by Margherita Marchione; and Piuss 1942 Christmas Eve Radio Broadcast; with reference to their origins, purpose, values, and limitations. This investigation does not take into account events concerning Pius XII in the years leading up to or following the war, nor does it delve into the ideology of the Catholic Church as a whole.

B. Summary of Evidence
In 1939, the year of his election, Pius XII appointed (as nuncio to Germany) Archbishop Orsengio - who was known to be pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic, and fascist.1 Orsengios primary responsibility was maintaining the VaticanReich concordat in order to protect the rights of German Catholics.2 In March 1939 as racism in Nazi Germany reached new levels, the idea of an encyclical condemning racism was brought up before the Pope he made the excuse that it would take much time while failing to mention that drafts on such a subject had been prepared three years earlier by Pius XI.3 In October 1939, following Germanys invasion of Poland, Pius XII published his encyclical condemning racism, Summi Pontificatus.4 The encyclical condemned the war as well, but

1 Michael Phayer, The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000)

44.
2 Ibid 3 Peter Godman, Hitler and the Vatican: Inside the Secret Archives that Reveal the New Story of the Nazis and the

Church (New York: Free Press, 2004) 163.

4 Margherita Marchione, Pope Pius XII: Architect for Peace (New York: Paulist Press, 2000) 31.

not Germanys invasion of Poland.5 In January 1940, Pius XII spoke in a radio broadcast about The horror and inexcusable excesses committed on a helpless and homeless people, once again neglecting to name any parties.6 Later that year Pius XII sent a letter to all churches entitled By Work and By Love, instructing the Catholic bishops of Europe to do everything they could to help anyone suffering from racial discrimination by the Nazis.7 In another letter in August 1940, the Pope explained his predicament: saying the only thing restraining the Vatican from uttering words of fire against the Nazis was the fear of making the plight of the victims even worse.8 This didnt stop others from speaking out, though. When in July 1941 Bishop Von Galen condemned the Nazis for their use of euthanasia and other practices, Pius XII commended him, saying that he received the news with deep edification calling his words enlightened and courageous.9 By 1942, the pressure on the Pope to speak out against the Nazis had reached a maximum level.10 In the summer, he drafted a fiery denunciation of their policies however, Dutch bishops began to protest publicly before he made his work public.11 The result of their open disapproval of the deportations taking place only resulted in further brutality and more deportations following this event, Pius XII destroyed his work fearing a more severe retaliation.12 However, he abandoned this hesitation when in his

5 Michael Phayer, The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000)

24.
6 Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, A moral reckoning: the role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust and its unfulfilled duty

of repair (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002) 49.

7 .Margherita Marchione, Pope Pius XII: Architect for Peace (New York: Paulist Press, 2000) 32. 8 Michael Phayer, The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000)

54
9 Pierre Blet, Pius XII and the Second World War Trans. Lawrence J. Johnson (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1999) 67. 10 Schoenberg, Shira. "Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust." Jewish Virtual Library - Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Jan.

2011. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/pius.html>.
11 Margherita Marchione, Pope Pius XII: Architect for Peace (New York: Paulist Press, 2000) 109. 12 Ibid.

1942 Christmas address he spoke out about the hundreds of thousands of persons, who, without any fault of their own, sometimes only by reason of their nationality or race, are destined to death or a slow decline.'13 In this address, he stated that two of the factors vital to establishing world peace were assuring every nation, no matter the size, a right to life and independence; and more importantly acknowledging the rights and dignity of every person including ethnic minorities.14 He affirmed that a social program is harmful to a society if it disregards the respect due to the human person, and to the life which is proper to that person an express jab at the Nazis treatment of Jews.15 However, it must be noted that not once were the Jews or the Nazis directly identified by name and the address contained less than 100 words about the Holocaust in its considerable length.16 By the close of the war, the world became shocked at the atrocities coming to light in Germany. Some bishops such as Bishop Alois Hudal of Berlin even helped Nazi collaborators escape charges as Pius XII, likely aware of their actions, turned a blind eye.17 Still, he promoted a lenient postwar policy toward Germany among the Allied leaders in order to prevent what he thought were mistakes made at the end of the First World War.18

C. Evaluation of Sources
Pope Pius XII: Architect for Peace was written by Sister Margherita Marichione, Professor Emerita of Italian language and literature at Fairleigh Dickinson University,
13 Pius XII, Text of Pope Pius XII's Christmas Message Broadcast from Vatican to World, (New York Times 25 Dec.

1942) 10.
14 Pierre Blet, Pius XII and the Second World War Trans. Lawrence J. Johnson (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1999) 30. 15 Pius XII, Text of Pope Pius XII's Christmas Message Broadcast from Vatican to World (New York Times 25 Dec.

1942) 10.
16 Michael Phayer, The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000) 17 Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, A moral reckoning: the role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust and its unfulfilled

duty of repair (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002) 153 154.

18 Schoenberg, Shira. Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust. Jewish Virtual Library Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Jan

2011. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/pis.html>.

published in 2000. The purpose of this source is to put an end to the calumny regarding Pius XIIs silence. The source is made to prove Pius XIIs innocence of the charges laid against him by his critics. One value of this source is its extensive appendix, which includes a variety of primary sources lacking prior interpretations, leaving the reader free of the influence of biased opinions. Another value is that it responds directly to another source used in this investigation, Hitlers Pope by John Cornwell, and uses ample evidence to dismiss the allegations of his work. This structured argument against existing criticisms gives the source a strong basis and convincing reasoning. By relating the evidence to both possible sides of the argument, a more thorough knowledge and objective view of the subject matter is obtained. Limitations include a deep bias the author herself is a nun, among other factors. Therefore on its own the source gives a limited view of the whole debate, not delving into the reasoning of the other sides when its arguments are countered. Also, as this document was published nearly 11 years ago, it follows that some information may not be completely current or accurate. Pope Pius XIIs Christmas Eve Radio Broadcast was written and broadcasted by Pope Pius XII on Vatican Radio on December 24th, 1942, then published in the New York Times on the 25th, the day following. The purpose of this source is to spread the message of Jesus in the ears of Christians. It was transcribed and republished in the paper in order to reach the largest audience possible. A value is the fact that it is a primary source from the Pope himself free of analysis and opinions of other critics thus leaving it open to interpretation based on the 5

pure original words there. Since there is no external analysis of the source, the reader is free to draw their own conclusions from the text as opposed to becoming biased from other critics opinions. Another value is the fact that they published the speech in such a widely read paper showing how influential and important the Popes words were considered. A limitation is, the vagueness of the source not once are any specific parties named, leaving the reader to assume certain things such as whom the statements are directed at. Without prior knowledge of the Second World War, one would not be able to connect certain statements to world events at the time. Another limitation is that the message is solely focused on addressing the churchs teachings more so than the current events, leaving the reader poorly informed about what is being condemned and why.

D. Analysis
Pope Pius XIIs actions during WWII were vague and confusing at times, leaving the world to wonder exactly where he stood. However, under close examination, his beliefs become clearer. Appointing the anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi fascist Orsengio, as nuncio to Germany certainly stimulates suspicion, but what cannot be ignored is the fact that it was solely to preserve a concordat negotiated years earlier in 1933.19 This concordat served as protection however meager for Germanys Catholics.20 Appointing a man with beliefs similar to the Nazis was most likely a way of avoiding possible conflicts something Pius XII became known for throughout the war. The Popes neglect to name parties causes similar confusion. It would be easy to

19 John Cornwell, Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII (Toronto: The Penguin Group, 1999) 54. 20 Michael Phayer, The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000)

44.

interpret this as reluctance to condemn the Nazis, raising the notion that perhaps he supported them after all. This can likewise be explained. Pius XII voiced his predicament multiple times throughout the war with every attempt to condemn the Nazis came the fear of making the plight of the victims even worse.21 Indeed, in the case of the Dutch bishops open protest, severe consequences followed only reinforcing the popes fears. How could he speak out knowing his words would cause harm to those he meant to help? One could credit this vagueness as quite clever by neglecting to identify parties, Pius XII did the most to protect the victims while at the same time condemning the offenders leaving himself a loophole, so to speak. Moreover, there is the political explanation of the Popes personal beliefs he felt he could not name the Nazis without at the same time condemning Bolshevism, which would not please the Allies.22 Rather than offend two parties at once, the Pope allowed them to interpret his words as they would. Finally, it cannot be ignored that by becoming a tool of the Allies and saying what they wanted him to say, Pius XII would have eliminated all chances to persuade Germany and Italy to end the war. This explains his reluctance to listen to the Allies, while at the same time greatly diminishing the notion he was a pro Nazi himself. The Pope didnt neglect to support others who were taking a stand against the horrors in Germany his support of Bishop Von Galens protest lends further evidence to him being antiNazi. That is not to say he was silent himself his encyclical, Summi Pontificatus; his letters such as By Work and By Love in the 1940s; and radio broadcasts such as in the 1940s and his 1942 Christmas address all show that Pius XII was anything but quiet about his beliefs. Each work protests in one way or another every principle of Hitlers National Socialist party. In his Christmas address especially, the

21 Michael Phayer The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000)

54.
22 Margherita Marchione, Pope Pius XII: Architect for Peace (New York: Paulist Press, 2000) 113.

factors for peace Pius XII identifies clash directly with the actions of the Nazi party. Germany at the time did not guarantee each nation a right to life and independence, nor were the rights and dignity of every person acknowledged. He implies that the Nazi party is harmful because it disregards the respect due to the human person, and to the life which is proper to that person23 It is true that shockingly little is said about the Holocaust in his address. Once again this is cause for many to believe in Pius XIIs partiality to the Nazi party. Nevertheless, one must look upon this with a critical eye. It must be remembered that this address is first a religious function, then a medium for world issues. In this address, the Pope made references and teachings about many world issues, including the war, as well as connecting religious teachings into it. The basic message is clear his primary goal is an end to the war. In no way does this suggest support for the Nazis rather, the Pope is an advocate for peace.

E. Conclusion
The actions of Pius XII over the war can be interpreted in multiple ways at first glance however, when they are looked at more closely, sensible explanations arise which lead away from the idea that he supported the Nazis. Appointing the fascist Orsengio was only meant to prevent any possible disputes which would harm Germanys Catholics, and to preserve the concordat that guaranteed them at least some protection. In no way was it meant to show a support for the Nazis far from it. This explanation eliminates any ideas that Pius XII did condone their actions. Likewise, Pius XIIs reluctance to identify offenders was not found out of a secret support for them rather it was to do the most he could to protect victims while at the same time taking a stance against the Nazis. Even while fulfilling his duties as head of the Catholic faith, he still
23 Pius XII, Text of Pope Pius XII's Christmas Message Broadcast from Vatican to World (New York Times 25 Dec.

1942) 10.

managed to speak out in whatever ways he could against the atrocities in Germany. This indicates the obvious it becomes clear Pius XII in no way condoned the actions of the Nazi party.

F. Bibliography
Blet, Pierre. Pius XII and the Second World War. Trans. Lawrence J. Johnson. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1999. Print. Cornwell, John. Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII. Toronto: The Penguin Group, 1999. Print. Godman, Peter. Hitler and the Vatican: Inside the Secret Archives that Reveal the New Story of the Nazis and the Church. New York: Free Press, 2004. Print. Goldhagen, Daniel Jonah. A moral reckoning: the role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust and its unfulfilled duty of repair. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002. Print. Marchione, Margherita. Pope Pius XII: Architect for Peace. New York: Paulist Press, 2000. Print. Phayer, Michael. The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965 . Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000. Print. XII, Pius. "Text of Pope Pius XII's Christmas Message Broadcast from Vatican to World." New York Times 25 Dec. 1942: 10. Print. Schoenberg, Shira. "Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust." Jewish Virtual Library Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2011. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/pius.html>.