'Only research can determine Pius XII image'

Holocaust museum resists Holy See's pressure; Peres: Benedict XVI mustn't let spat keep him from visiting.

By HAVIV RETTIG GUR
Pope Benedict 224.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
Pope Benedict 224.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Yad Vashem is resisting pressure from the Holy See to change the caption in its Holocaust History Museum that accuses Pope Pius XII of failing to protest the Nazi genocide against Jews. Also Sunday, an Italian Jewish leader warned of a "wound that will be difficult to heal" among Jews if the beatification of Pius XII went forward. Beatification is the third of the four steps in the process of declaring someone a saint. The Vatican has repeatedly claimed that Pius XII worked tirelessly but quietly throughout the war to rescue Jews, but that public declarations on their behalf would have resulted in a backlash from the Nazi regime that would have prevented their rescue. A Catholic official, Rev. Peter Gumpel, promoting the cause which could lead to sainthood for Pius, said over the weekend that the caption is an obstacle to a visit by Pope Benedict XVI. But a spokesman for Benedict said Saturday that although no visit is currently planned, the spat with Yad Vashem will not be the deciding factor. President Shimon Peres urged the Vatican on Sunday not to let the contentious reference to Pope Pius XII stand in the way of a visit to the Holy Land by the present pontiff. Peres stood by Israeli criticism of Pius, but told reporters in Jerusalem that the issue should not be a barrier to a trip by Benedict. "We have reason to believe that Pius XII didn't do enough to save Jewish life, I don't want to pass judgment. If there is evidence then it should be checked carefully, Peres said, in English. "The visit to the holy country is nothing to do with anger or disputes. It's holy all the time, it is holy for all of us." Vatican spokesman Frederico Lombardi called on Sunday for "a new, objective and in-depth review" of the caption. The caption reads: "Even when reports about the murder of Jews reached the Vatican, the pope did not protest, either verbally or in writing. In December 1942, [Pius XII] abstained from signing the Allied declaration condemning the extermination of the Jews. When Jews were deported from Rome to Auschwitz, the pope did not intervene. "The pope maintained his neutral position throughout the war, with the exception of appeals to the rulers of Hungary and Slovakia toward its end. His silence and the absence of guidelines obliged churchmen throughout Europe to decide on their own how to react." Yad Vashem said Sunday the museum's treatment of Pius XII was not affected by political considerations or diplomatic pressure, but only by the state of historical research. "The presentation of the subject in the Holocaust History Museum at Yad Vashem is based on the best research regarding this topic," a statement from the organization said. "Yad Vashem's historians are attentive to any research developments and new relevant documentation, and continue to delve into every aspect of the period. Yad Vashem is certain that the opening of Vatican Archives on the relevant period would help further research on the subject, which would clarify this historical issue." The organization's statement followed Saturday newspaper interviews by Gumpel, a Church official at the forefront of efforts to beatify Pius, who said "the most burning" reason Pope Benedict XVI had yet to visit Israel was the disagreement over the caption. Vatican spokesman Lombardi denied this was a "determining factor," saying the pope desired such a visit but that "concrete planning" for it has not yet begun. Meanwhile, a leader of Italy's Jewish community, Amos Luzzatto, told the La Repubblica newspaper that Pius should have followed the example of Hungarian, Danish and Bulgarian leaders who openly spoke out against the deportation of Jews during the war, Reuters reported Sunday. Luzzatto's statements follow similar statements from the central umbrella body of French Jewry, the CRIF, last week. "I ask myself why Pius didn't do the same thing to call European Catholics to action," Luzzatto told the Italian paper. "These are questions that haunt us Jews. "So if they want to beatify [Pius] before clearing up all doubts about his silence they are free to do it. But the Vatican should know that for the Jewish world this would open up a wound that will be difficult to heal." Mark Weiss and AP contributed to this report.