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Pope Benedict XVI (right). (AP)
Last update - 00:00 18/10/2008
Peres urges Pope to ignore row over Pius XII and visit Israel
By News Agencies
Tags: Israel News, Vatican 

President Shimon Peres on Sunday urged the Vatican not to let a contentious reference to World War II Pope Pius XII put off a visit to the Holy Land by the present pontiff.

A caption accompanying a photograph of Pius in Jerusalem's Yad Vashem museum of the Holocaust says that Pius "abstained from signing the Allied declaration condemning the extermination of the Jews" and "maintained his neutral position throughout the war".

A Catholic official promoting the cause which could lead to sainthood for Pius has said the caption is an obstacle to a visit by Pope Benedict XVI. But a spokesman for Benedict said that the spat is not standing in the way of a visit.
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Peres on Sunday told reporters the issue should not be a barrier.

"The visit to the holy country is nothing to do with anger or disputes," Peres said. "It's holy all the time, it's holy for all of us."

Earlier Sunday, a top Italian Jewish leader said on Sunday that making Pius XII a saint could open a "wound difficult to heal" between Jews and Catholics.

Pius, who reigned from 1939 until his death in 1958, has been accused by some Jews of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust during World War II, a charge his supporters and the Vatican deny.

The Vatican has called on both Catholics and Jews to stop putting pressure on Pope Benedict over the issue.

Italian newspapers on Sunday ran front-page stories about what some called a new chill in relations between Israel and the Vatican over Pius, sparked by comments from a priest who is a key promoter of sainthood for Pius.

At issue is whether Benedict should let Pius proceed on the road to sainthood - which Catholic supporters want - by signing a decree recognising his "heroic virtues". This would clear the way for beatification, the last step before sainthood.

Benedict has so far not signed the decree - approved last year by the Vatican's saint-making department, opting instead for what the Vatican has called a period of reflection.

Some Jews want the procedure frozen until more historical research can be done about the period, with many saying Pius should have spoken out more directly.

Amos Luzzatto, president emeritus of Italy's Jewish communities, told La Repubblica newspaper that Hungarian, Danish and Bulgarian leaders spoke out openly against the deportation of Jews during the war and Pius should have done the same.

"I ask myself why Pius didn't do the same thing to call European Catholics to action. These are questions that haunt us Jews," he said.

"So if they want to beatify [Pius] before clearing up all doubts about his silence there 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," he said.

The Vatican says while Pius did not speak out, he worked behind the scenes to help because direct intervention would have worsened the situation by prompting retaliations by Hitler.

Benedict has repeatedly defended Pius, saying he worked "secretly and silently" during World War Two to "avoid the worst and save the greatest number of Jews possible."

The Vatican says he saved several hundred thousand Jewish lives by ordering churches and convents throughout Italy to hide Jews and instructing Vatican diplomats in Europe to give many Jews false passports.

On Saturday chief Vatican spokesman Reverand Federico Lombardi issued an unusual statement after an Italian news agency ran an interview with the Reverand Peter Gumpel, a Jesuit who is a major proponent of bestowing sainthood for Pius.

Gumpel said Benedict had put the sainthood process on hold because he feared repercussions on relations with Jews.

"In this situation, it is not opportune to exercise pressure on him [the pope] from one side or the other," Lombardi said in a statement that appeared to be at pains to distance the Vatican from Gumpel's remarks.

Vatican: Stop pressuring pope over Pius XII sainthood

The Vatican on Saturday called on both Catholics and Jews to stop piling "pressure" on Pope Benedict over whether he should or should not promote the sainthood of his controversial Nazi-era predecessor Pius XII.

Pius, who reigned from 1939 to 1958, has been accused by some Jews of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust during World War II, a charge his supporters and the Vatican deny.

Chief Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi issued an unusual statement after an Italian news agency ran an interview with the Rev. Peter Gumpel, the Vatican's chief judge investigating Pius' sainthood cause.

Gumpel, a major proponent of sainthood for Pius, was quoted as saying that Benedict had put the sainthood process for Pius on hold because it would harm relations with Jews.

Last year, the Vatican's saint-making department voted in favor of a decree recognizing Pius' "heroic virtues", a step in a long process toward possible sainthood that began in 1967.

Benedict has so far not approved the decree - which is needed for beatification, the last step before sainthood - opting for what the Vatican has called a period of reflection.

"In this situation, it is not opportune to exercise pressure on him (the pope) from one side or the other," Lombardi said.

The Vatican appeared to be at pains to distance itself from the remarks attributed to Gumpel, including one that Benedict would not visit Israel unless the caption of the photograph of Pius in Yad Vashem was changed.

Objectionable caption

The Vatican statement said that while the Catholic Church has made it clear to Israeli authorities that it found the caption objectionable, it was wrong to consider it "a determining factor" in the decision about a papal trip.

Some say Pius did not do enough to save Jews. The Vatican and his Jewish defenders say he worked behind the scenes to help because direct intervention would have worsened the situation.

Benedict has repeatedly defended Pius, saying he worked "secretly and silently" during World War Two to "avoid the worst and save the greatest number of Jews possible".

At an Oct. 9 commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Pius' death, Benedict said he prayed the process which could lead to Pius' beatification "can proceed happily".

Four days before the anniversary, the chief rabbi of Haifa, Shear-Yashuv Cohen, told Benedict during a synod that Jews "cannot forgive and forget" that some major religious leaders at the time did not speak out against the Holocaust.

Cohen, who was the first Jew to address a Vatican synod, separately told reporters Pius "should not be seen as a model and he should not be beatified".

Pius' papacy is one of the most difficult issues in Catholic-Jewish relations.

Many books have been written about it, with most defenders saying the situation would have been worse for Jews if he had spoken out forcefully, prompting retaliations by Hitler.

They say he ordered churches and convents throughout Italy to hide Jews and that Vatican diplomats in Europe also helped give many Jews false passports.

Related articles:
  • French Jewish group: Pius XII sainthood would be blow to Catholic-Jewish relations
  • Vatican defends wartime pope against charge he turned blind eye to Holocaust
  • Haifa Chief Rabbi at Vatican: Wartime Pope let Jews down
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      1.   THIS POPE HAS PROBLEMS AGAINST EVERYBODY 00:15  |  indrajaya 19/10/08
      2.   Open the archives 00:33  |  Joe 19/10/08
      3.   Not just Jewish people, but all of us are offended by Pius XII. 01:47  |  Michael 19/10/08
      4.   re #1 `THIS POPE HAS PROBLEMS AGAINST EVERYBODY` 02:22  |  Colin Wright 19/10/08
      5.   REWRITE HISTORY? FIRST READ THIS! 02:23  |  Barry S. Roffman 19/10/08
      6.   "direct intervention would have worsened the situation" 02:36  |  newageblues 19/10/08
      7.   WHY MAKE SO MANY ENEMIES ? 05:09  |  Arik Silverman 19/10/08
      8.   Saints? 05:11  |  Joan 19/10/08
      9.   Arik Silverman:Same old enemies, new excuses 05:21  |  Arie 19/10/08
      10.   #2 - Joe 06:54  |  MichaelF 19/10/08
      11.   Israeli consul, Pinchas E. Lapide 06:55  |  Yuhannon 19/10/08
      12.   A few facts 06:57  |  MichaelF 19/10/08
      13.   #12 Michael F 08:04  |  Yuhannon 19/10/08
      14.   #12 Michael F (continued) 08:09  |  Yuhannon 19/10/08
      15.   Same attittude that caused inaction during WWII. 08:14  |  Gilad 19/10/08
      16.   Jozef Tiso was also a Catholic Priest 08:41  |  Meir Weinstein 19/10/08
      17.   #6 the pope was sitting in the middle of fascist Italy 10:26  |  antoine 19/10/08
      18.   Pope Pius 10:55  |  Scott David Lippe MD 19/10/08
      19.   Meir Weinstein @ 16 - re Jozef Tiso 11:56  |  Chris 19/10/08
      20.   Pius Xll the silent pope 12:38  |  truly yours 19/10/08
      21.   Pope Pius 12 12:40  |  ex-catholic 19/10/08
      22.   A simple question to Antoine and others 13:23  |  Ehud 19/10/08
      23.   MichaelIF 13:42  |  Ehud 19/10/08
      24.   Punishment for not doing ... 14:02  |  Indiginous 19/10/08
      25.   rank hypocrisy 15:00  |  curious george 19/10/08
      26.   catolic church and its Pope 15:09  |  jacques 19/10/08
      27.   Indigenous we`re not punishing him, just not making him a saint 15:26  |  x-ray 19/10/08
      28.   In very near future, Israel Rabis will be asked same question!! 15:47  |  Cerdic 19/10/08
      29.   Re Chris #19, Vatican and Yozef Tiso 15:55  |  Meir Weinstein 19/10/08
      30.   Is Benedict more moral than Pius? 16:28  |  Boycott 19/10/08
      31.   Offensive - Not Offensive 16:30  |  Natallie Durson 19/10/08
      32.   An Imperial Institution 16:32  |  D. 19/10/08
      33.   Pius XII is the wrong name for this practitioner of Realpolitik 16:36  |  Vincenzo 19/10/08
      34.   #9 Arie Burning the Talmud? 17:43  |  Lou Medel 19/10/08
      35.   Beatifying Nazi-era pope would open difficult wounds 18:13  |  Steven 19/10/08
      36.   Pope 18:41  |  Catholic 19/10/08
      37.   #33 and not only that 20:13  |  Flavia 19/10/08
      38.   Meir Weinstein @ 29 20:14  |  Chris 19/10/08
      39.   #36 you`re mixing things up 20:21  |  Flavia 19/10/08
      40.   #35 but not in my name 20:44  |  Flavia 19/10/08
      41.   Miss Durson 20:54  |  Christian 19/10/08
      42.   It seems that 23:40  |  Mark Lincoln 19/10/08
      43.   Newageblues and Berwick article 23:51  |  Angela 19/10/08
      44.   Cris, you have a problem 23:51  |  Meir Weinstein 19/10/08
      45.   Berwick article Part II 23:56  |  Angela 19/10/08
      46.   Berwick Part III 00:01  |  Angela 20/10/08
      47.   Berwick: IV and last 00:08  |  Angela 20/10/08
      48.   Joan 00:13  |  Angela 20/10/08
      49.   #39 Sainthood 00:20  |  Steven 20/10/08
      50.   Pius XII hid apostate Israel Zolli. 01:20  |  HS 20/10/08
      51.   Pope Pius had no trouble asking the allies 05:04  |  Zooog 20/10/08
      52.   Pius XII saved 860,000 Jews 10:55  |  Yuhannon 20/10/08
      53.   Durson #41 11:45  |  The Teacher/Instruct 20/10/08
      54.   Lawyer Jew "cannot forgive and forget" 13:07  |  Simon 20/10/08
      55.   Jesusalen 23:53  |  cristian 20/10/08
      56.   Pius XII 10:06  |  J. P. Bradley 27/10/08
      57.   Pius XII 10:09  |  J. P. Bradley 27/10/08
      58.   Hindsight makes it so easy to judge others 11:49  |  Manny Goldstein 27/10/08
      59.   # 58 You fogot the 6 million murdered Jews 16:31  |  Petra 02/12/08
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