New revelations from the Vatican called into question the official position of the Holy See during World War II regarding the Holocaust. Newly discovered documents suggest that Pope Pius XII had detailed information about Nazi atrocities in German-occupied Poland. The correspondence, published this weekend by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, comes from the Vatican archives and was discovered by Giovanni Coco, a researcher and archivist at the Vatican Apostolic Archives, as reported by the AP.
The letter in question, dated December 14, 1942, was written by the German Jesuit priest Lothar Koenig and addressed to the Pope’s personal secretary, the German Jesuit Robert Leiber. In it, as reported by CNN, Koenig reports that up to 6,000 Jews and Poles were being murdered daily at the Belzec extermination camp, near the town of Rava Ruska, which at the time was part of Poland and occupied by Germany, but which today is in Ukraine.
The correspondence arrived at the Vatican shortly after Pius Although it cannot be confirmed whether the Pope saw the letter, Leiber’s closeness to him suggests that it is likely that the information came to his attention.
This discovery is especially significant because it contradicts the Vatican’s official position at the time. According to a senior official in the Secretariat of State, Bishop Domenico Tardini, the Pope could not speak publicly about Nazi atrocities because he had not been able to verify the information. However, Koenig’s letter shows that the Catholic Church in Germany sent Pius XII accurate and detailed news about the crimes that were being perpetrated against the Jews. A discovery in the Vatican Apostolic Archives brings to light a letter that could change the historical perception about the role of the Catholic Church during World War II.
The legacy of Pius XII has long been the subject of debate. While some maintain that he worked secretly to help the Jews, others argue that he remained silent while the Holocaust took place. This new finding will likely intensify that debate, especially since it is expected to be discussed at an upcoming conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, supported by various organizations, including Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Research Institute and the US Holocaust Memorial. USA
Since Pope Francis ordered the opening of the Pius archives in 2019, scholars have been examining the documents in search of a better understanding of the Vatican’s response to Nazism and the Holocaust. This latest finding undoubtedly adds another layer of complexity to an already controversial legacy.
Pope Pius with the Catholic Church and the Vatican. He was ordained a priest in 1899 and rose rapidly through the ecclesiastical hierarchy, serving in various diplomatic capacities before being appointed Vatican Secretary of State in 1930.
His pontificate coincided with tumultuous periods in world history, including World War II and the early years of the Cold War. Controversy and debate regarding his role during the Holocaust froze his beatification process, which began in 1965. It has been the subject of discussion and scrutiny, and to this day, remains stalled.
