The Truth Will Out

Thank God the tide is turning with regard to the Venerable Pope Pius XII.  At long last, thanks to stringent and dedicated research by scholars, the War time pope's real work is finally being acknowledged.  As you know Pius has laboured under the accusations of not doing enough to save the Jews, and of not speaking out.  Apparently, if Pius had spoken out against the Holocaust, Hitler would have stopped his campaign in fear of the pope's blinding authority.  Only a fool would believe that.  Anyone with an ounce of sense and a smidgen of historical knowledge would know a direct papal attack would have inflamed Hitler and cranked up the killing machine.  The events in Holland in 1942 as Jewish Catholics were hauled off to their deaths by the Nazis in response to the Dutch bishops' condemnation, are a good indication of what would have happened on a global scale.

Much thanks must go to Gary Krupp and the Pave the Way Foundation, which is trawling through the Vatican archives and unearthing the truth.  Mr Krupp began with no preconceptions - he wanted the record to speak for itself, and as he researched he saw that Pius was heroic in his efforts, and that many Jewish people are alive today because of the Pontiff's generous and quick response.   Just a few months ago the foundation produced evidence that Pius was personally responsible for getting 200,000 Jews out of Germany following Kristallnacht.  Now, just a few days ago, the foundation has released the testimony of the son of a Jewish survivor who reveals that his father was among the many thousands hidden by the pope in the Vatican.  There is so much evidence in favour of Pius now, his critics do not have a leg to stand on; of course these same critics do not actually consult the historical record, as a number of Pius' defenders have proven.

The Venerable Pius is important for our Fraternity.  His encyclical Mystici corporis, in which he reflects on the theology of the Mystical Body of Christ, is one of the foundational documents for our spirituality - that of spiritual accompaniment.  In the spirituality of the Fraternity of St Genesius, we see our apostolate in the context of the Mystical Body of Christ as taught by St Paul, and then Pope Pius XII.  If you have not read the encyclical, please do so: it is a wonderful read.