Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., November 12, 2008 Cheshvan 14, 5769 | | Israel Time: 16:28 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate U.S. election Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 18:23 30/10/2008
Jewish delegate to Vatican: Pope ignored request to freeze Pius XII sainthood
By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent, and News Agencies
Tags: Israel NEws, Pope Pius XII 

A member of the Jewish delegation to the Vatican told Haaretz on that Thursday's meeting with Pope Benedict dedicated to freezing the sainthood process of Nazi-era pope Pius XII was "very disappointing."

Seymour Reich, a New York attorney and a Jewish leader, said that the pope "completely ignored" the issue and did not even speak about declassifying archives that might shed light on Pius XII's conduct during the Holocaust.

Some Jews have accused Pius, who reigned from 1939 to 1958, of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust. The Vatican says he worked behind the scenes and helped save many Jews from certain death during World War Two.
Advertisement
Reich said that when he shook the pope's hand, he told him that he hoped he would not declare Pius XII a saint. The pope allegedly said that he would take that into account.

Rabbi David Rosen, the leader of the delegation, said that Pope Benedict is "seriously considering" freezing the sainthood process until historical archives can be opened.

Rosen said the subject came up in conversations after formal speeches were delivered.

"One member of our delegation told the pope 'please do not move ahead with beatification of Pius XII before the Vatican archives can be made accessible for objective historical analysis' and the pope said 'I am looking into it, I am considering it seriously'," Rosen told reporters.

The Vatican, however, has so far rejected Jewish groups' requests for the immediate opening of its secret archives on Pius XII's papacy.

It says it will take at least six more years before scholars can consult the archives, which historians and Jewish groups have been clamoring to study.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said the requests to see the wartime archives were understandable.

But he said Thursday that cataloguing some 16 million documents is expected to take another six or seven years.

Beatification is the last step before sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. Some Jews have asked the pope to hold off on beatifying Pius until more information on his papacy can be studied.

Related articles:
  • Vatican fumes at Israeli minister's remarks on Nazi-era pope
  • Jerusalem and Babylon / Should Pope Pius XII be made a saint? Leave that to the Vatican to decide
  • Haifa Chief Rabbi at Vatican: Wartime Pope let Jews down
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    No light at the end
    Amira Hass / Powerless in Gaza, residents rely on the tunnels.
    Offensive strikes
    Report: U.S. secretly attacked dozens of Mideast targets since 2004.
      1.   Pope Benedict 16:29  |  Didier 30/10/08
      2.   Pope Benedict is a savant. 17:02  |  Lou Medel 30/10/08
      3.   Just what are in those archives? 17:53  |  very curious 30/10/08
      4.   What are we doing?? 18:15  |  zeev 30/10/08
      5.   #4 Zeev Very well said. My respect 19:12  |  Lou Medel 30/10/08
      6.   There are no saints 19:19  |  Joan 30/10/08
      7.   didier feels warm and fuzzy towards benedict 19:59  |  hollingsworth 30/10/08
      8.   obvious response from the Pope 20:16  |  ynse_k 30/10/08
      9.   WHY THE FREEZE IS ESSENTIAL 20:21  |  Barry S. Roffman 30/10/08
      10.   Not opening archives an admission of guilt 20:55  |  Roland 30/10/08
      11.   disappointing intransparency 21:04  |  Sobieski 30/10/08
      12.   FREEZE typo fix 21:15  |  Barry S. Roffman 30/10/08
      13.   Religious Interference 21:37  |  ronald 30/10/08
      14.   correcting roland 22:01  |  hollingsworth 30/10/08
      15.   the great taboo 22:01  |  curious george 30/10/08
      16.   Note to Jewish delegate: A request is not a veto 22:19  |  Natallie Durson 30/10/08
      17.   The Pope 01:03  |  Jane 31/10/08
      18.   #4, #5 O.K., but then by reciprocity the Catholic 01:21  |  HS 31/10/08
      19.   BUTT OUT. 02:30  |  PETER SM 31/10/08
      20.   Nazi lovers in the Vatican during WW11 03:36  |  Seymour 31/10/08
      21.   So, the Jewish delegation to the Vatican... 03:47  |  Maureen Ann 31/10/08
      22.   Two points 03:53  |  Mark Lincoln 31/10/08
      23.   # 21 Maureen Ann 09:44  |  17 31/10/08
      24.   Jewish delegate to Vatican 12:02  |  HRM 31/10/08
      25.   21 Maureen Ann 12:24  |  Ibn Musa 31/10/08
      26.   Jane from Orlando 12:30  |  fk 31/10/08
      27.   that is true, 17 18:54  |  hollingsworth 31/10/08
      28.   JESUSALEN 22:45  |  cristian 02/11/08
      29.   Who cares people! Mother 19:07  |  NWO Chick 07/11/08
      30.   Pope Pius XII 16:22  |  Kathleen 12/11/08
     Read & React
    Nasrallah: Israeli hands that attack Lebanon will be severed
    Responses: 87
    Carlo Strenger: Why Barack Obama's win is 'good' for the Jews
    Responses: 38
    Secular candidate Barkat, after win: I'll be mayor of all Jerusalemites
    Responses: 21
    Amir Oren: A Netanyahu win will put us on collision course with Obama
    Responses: 25


    More Headlines
    14:49 IDF troops kill four Hamas gunmen near Gaza border
    14:23 Syria blames IAF for uranium traces found at suspected nuke site
    16:11 Carter: Obama will waste no time pursuing Middle East peace
    09:42 Secular candidate Barkat, after win: I'll be mayor of all Jerusalemites
    14:11 IDF soldier jailed for yawning during Rabin memorial service
    03:24 Footage emerges of Obama poking fun at 'foul-mouthed' Rahm Emanuel
    14:52 Iran says it test fired new surface-to-surface missile capable of hitting Israel
    12:05 Cabinet: No extra NIS 500m to reinforce Gaza-area homes
    14:34 Ahmadinejad: Tehran concerned with U.S. policies, not the president
    14:24 Police order diplomats to cancel Hebron walking tour
    14:02 Egyptian troops mass on Sinai border to stave off further Bedouin clashes
    11:05 Prosecutor: U.S. Muslim charity glorified Jihad and killing Jews
    11:40 Why Barack Obama's win is 'good' for the Jews
    12:22 Israel's longest-serving mayors ousted as residents vote for change
    Previous Editions
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Living in Israel Studying in English
    Click & Meet our students from all around the world
    Dan Boutique Jerusalem
    New Dan Hotel in Jerusalem Young, Fun & Distinctively Dan Book Now Online!
    Fattal Hotel Chain
    Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel.
    Car rental in Israel
    Shlomo Sixt Receive $15.00 from our low rates.
    Dial 013 for your long-distance calls
    and get all your money back
    US CITIZENS
    Vote for real change. Request your ballot today!
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations
    Jewish Singles Personal Ads
    Find the love of your life on JDate.com
    Israel's Premier Real Estate Website
    www. israel-property.com
    Hebrew Summer courses
    From $39.95
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |
    Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel
    birthright Israel | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved