Benedict XVI on Pius XII
On 18th September the Holy Father addressed the participants of a Symposium on Pius XII. Here are some extracts from his speech, which succinctly corrects some of the anti-Pius prejudices which we hear and read in the media:
Fifty years have passed since his pious death here at Castel Gandolfo early on the ninth of October 1958, after a debilitating disease. This anniversary provides an important opportunity to deepen our knowledge of him, to meditate on his rich teaching and to analyze thoroughly his activities. So much has been written and said of him during these last five decades and not all of the genuine facets of his diverse pastoral activity have been examined in a just light.
When one draws close to this noble Pope, free from ideological prejudices, in addition to being struck by his lofty spiritual and human character one is also captivated by the example of his life and the extraordinary richness of his teaching. One can also come to appreciate the human wisdom and pastoral intensity which guided him in his long years of ministry, especially in providing organized assistance to the Jewish people...Wherever possible he spared no effort in intervening in their favour either directly or through instructions given to other individuals or to institutions of the Catholic Church. [He made] many interventions, secretly and silently, precisely because, given the concrete situation of that difficult historical moment, only in this way was it possible to avoid the worst and save the greatest number of Jews.
This courageous and paternal dedication was recognized and appreciated during and after the terrible world conflict by Jewish communities and individuals who showed their gratitude for what the Pope had done for them. One need only recall Pius XII's meeting on the 29th of November 1945 with eighty delegates of German concentration camps who during a special Audience granted to them at the Vatican, wished to thank him personally for his generosity to them during the terrible period of Nazi-fascist persecution.
For the full text, click here.
posted by Fr Nicholas at 10:33 pm
2 Comments:
Gosh, that really is sickly. And people think Ultramontane idolatory is over?
It's certainly not in the style of 21st-century biography, but it hardly strikes me as "sickly", let alone idolatrous. Was his death not pious? Was his teaching not rich? Was his spiritual and human character not in some sense elevated (and hence "lofty")? Was his pastoral dedication not "courageous and paternal"? (The worst that can be said of him with any intellectual honesty is "He did more than anyone else, but there were occasions when he could have done even more than he did".)
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