Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., April 03, 2008 Adar2 28, 5768 | | Israel Time: 10:17 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 18:06 12/04/2007
Vatican threatens to boycott Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony in J'lem
By Reuters

The Vatican ambassador to Israel threatened on Thursday to boycott a Holocaust memorial ceremony next week over a museum's portrayal of Pope Pius XII's conduct during the Nazis' killing of Jews in World War Two.

Archbishop Antonio Franco said he had written to the director of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum asking for the revision of a caption suggesting the wartime Pope had been apathetic to the Jews' plight.

The caption, quoted in the Israeli press, says Pope Pius XII "abstained from signing the Allied declaration condemning the extermination of the Jews" and "maintained his neutral position throughout the war."
Advertisement
Archbishop Franco said that in his letter he advised the Holocaust museum he "would not feel comfortable going to Yad Vashem" unless the wording was amended or the photo removed.

The photo appears in a new part of the museum that was opened in 2005.

Yad Vashem hosts Israel's annual state ceremony to mark Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day, which will take place on Sunday.

Archbishop Franco said he had not received an answer from the museum, which hosts foreign ambassadors at the event.

Defenders of Pope Pius XII have said he did everything possible to help Jews, while critics have portrayed him as an anti-Semite and Germanophile whose views were formed while working in Germany before his election as Pope in 1939.

Yad Vashem, which contains the largest archive of data on the Holocaust, said in a statement it had told the Vatican's representative "it was willing to continue examining the issue."

In its statement, Yad Vashem said it would welcome the opportunity to study the Vatican's archives relating to Pope Pius XII "to possibly learn new and different information" about him.

Historians have called on the Vatican to fully open archives for the papacy of Pius XII, which ended in 1958
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Devil's weed
New campaign equates smoking pot with terrorism.
Bad company
A BBC poll says Israel world's most hated country after Iran.
  1.   No BIG deal...... so he won`t come Who`ll miss him? 18:20  |  Ari ben Yisrael 12/04/07
  2.   Vatican: Re-write history or at least ignore it 18:22  |  Chick Corea 12/04/07
  3.   Vatican and Holocaust 18:32  |  Neil Livingston Macl 12/04/07
  4.   Vatican threatens 18:35  |  DANNY KATS 12/04/07
  5.   Pope & Jews. 18:39  |  curious 12/04/07
  6.   Vatican was contributing factor to Holocaust 18:41  |  * BEN JAB 12/04/07
  7.   The Church - Despite the call by Historian`s 18:44  |  * BEN JABO 12/04/07
  8.   Truth is not comfortable... 18:44  |  Alain 12/04/07
  9.   Why bury the truth? 18:47  |  SLAVO 12/04/07
  10.   Who cares? 18:52  |  Tulip 12/04/07
  11.   If the shoe fits... 18:55  |  The Barber 12/04/07
  12.   So what? 19:00  |  MichaelF 12/04/07
  13.   Let Franco stay home 19:01  |  David Salinger 12/04/07
  14.   WOOP-DEE-DOOO 19:12  |  STEVEN 12/04/07
  15.   Israel`s enemies are the living - not the dead ! 19:15  |  Observer 12/04/07
  16.   The Vatican threatens to boycott the truth... 19:24  |  Somebody from Europe 12/04/07
  17.   Absence from the ceremony will be a continuation of 19:25  |  Mephisto 12/04/07
  18.   Israeli Jews 19:25  |  emad matahin 12/04/07
  19.   Gave freedom to the Amabassador 19:41  |  Peter 12/04/07
  20.   emad matahin, what diet are you on? 19:49  |  Mephisto 12/04/07
  21.   to #20 Mephisto 19:55  |  emad matahin 12/04/07
  22.   What is wrong with truth? 20:10  |  Ed 12/04/07
  23.   How will we sleep at night? 20:13  |  Uri 12/04/07
  24.   And the Jews want to control the Vatican now 20:21  |  Christian 12/04/07
  25.   3 words for the Vatican: "Open the archives." 20:27  |  Jake 12/04/07
  26.   #24 Christian 20:34  |  Jane 12/04/07
  27.   Arcebishop Franco 20:34  |  Shmuelshachor 12/04/07
  28.   Emad 20:56  |  Alex 12/04/07
  29.   No one ever accused the Vatican of open mindedness! 20:57  |  anti-racist 12/04/07
  30.   Control the Vatican, #24? You must be kidding. 21:02  |  Joan Stuchner 12/04/07
  31.   An appropriate memorial for Holocaust victims? 21:04  |  Jon 12/04/07
  32.   Big Deal 21:11  |  J Olson 12/04/07
  33.   Pope Pius` Priorities 21:14  |  Joan Stuchner 12/04/07
  34.   The burden of refutation is on the Vatican 21:16  |  Yonatan 12/04/07
  35.   emad matahin 21:20  |  Jon 12/04/07
  36.   #18 - History Lesson 21:25  |  B 12/04/07
  37.   The " Hitler Youth " Pope. 21:35  |  Menachem Ben Yakov 12/04/07
  38.   Pius XII, the Silent Pope 21:36  |  Christian that sees 12/04/07
  39.   Their right 21:38  |  W 12/04/07
  40.   Emad Matahin, 21:42  |  Truly yours 12/04/07
  41.   #7 Hey Ben Jabo; better be careful of opening 21:44  |  ballistic 12/04/07
  42.   Answer to "Christian" 24 21:45  |  Briton 12/04/07
  43.   no one cares 21:48  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/04/07
  44.   #18 - History Lesson 21:49  |  Sipho 12/04/07
  45.   to emad matahin 22:02  |  Amit 12/04/07
  46.   Six Million possibly versus a Pope? 22:05  |  H.H.M 12/04/07
  47.   Franco ? Who wants him ? 22:06  |  Wendy 12/04/07
  48.   christian ....I hope jews will control... 22:07  |  maria 12/04/07
  49.   un-pious pope of WWII 22:13  |  chaim 12/04/07
  50.   #39 W 22:22  |  Yonatan 12/04/07
  51.   WWWW 39 22:29  |  Truly yours 12/04/07
  52.   #18 emad matahin 22:30  |  * BEN JABO 12/04/07
  53.   #21 emad matahin "Historical Facts Diet" 22:32  |  * BEN JABO 12/04/07
  54.   #24 Christian 22:38  |  * BEN JABO 12/04/07
  55.   To Christian #24 22:40  |  Jeremy 12/04/07
  56.   So don`t come ! 22:42  |  Fortuna Benmayor 12/04/07
  57.   VATIC - The hypocrisy of it all 22:43  |  * BEN JABO 12/04/07
  58.   #41 Ballistic - I`m still waiting for "LINKE" 22:47  |  * BEN J ABO 12/04/07
  59.   Vatican threatens to boycott Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony in J 22:48  |  Dr. Jonathan Levy 12/04/07
  60.   #41 Ballistic - "Other thread??" 22:50  |  * BEN JABO 12/04/07
  61.   Useless conflict 22:50  |  PB 12/04/07
  62.   `W` says Hadassah `cleansed` Palestinians back in 1948 22:56  |  Jake 12/04/07
  63.   There were 6 million offended jews, too 23:01  |  Rav Harley 12/04/07
  64.   #41 KNICKER ELASTIC HOLDS UP POPE AS 23:02  |  paul harris 12/04/07
  65.   O the irony! Now the Vatican undermines Holocaust Prevention 23:12  |  Mary 12/04/07
  66.   W 23:40  |  jane 12/04/07
  67.   W 23:42  |  Jane 12/04/07
  68.   to Alex #28 23:54  |  Emad Matahin 12/04/07
  69.   Israel`s enemies are the Israelis themselves 00:02  |  christa 13/04/07
  70.   to Jon #35 00:08  |  Emad Matahin 13/04/07
  71.   To Amit #45 00:16  |  emad matahin 13/04/07
  72.   To #40 trulyyours 00:21  |  emad matahin 13/04/07
  73.   #44 get real!! 00:23  |  emad matahin 13/04/07
  74.   # 53 BEN JABO 00:25