War correspondence: Vatican worked behind scenes during WWII

Published: 2004-06-18

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- For years, historians have pressed the Vatican to open its World War II archives. The Vatican replied that it had already published 11 volumes of documents, which included the most important information from the period. But in 2002, Pope John Paul II gave orders for early release of new archival sections. As a result, historians are about to feast on two remarkable collections of correspondence -- one that views the buildup to the war from the halls of power and one that describes the conflict's devastating consequences on ordinary men and women. In September, the Vatican Secret Archives will make available material on the Holy See's relations with Germany in 1922-39. Some of the documents are already out, in a new book titled "Hitler, the Holy See and the Jews," by Jesuit Father Giovanni Sale. Those looking for "smoking-gun" evidence that Pope Pius XII failed to protect Jews from Nazi persecution during the war will not find it in Father Sale's book. The pope comes off as hesitant for good reasons, afraid that his actions would only prompt harsh Nazi reprisals. The book focuses more on what was happening behind the scenes, and its appendix of letters offers a fascinating glimpse of Vatican diplomacy during Hitler's rise to power, including some arguable mistakes in judgment.

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