Sense of urgency: Pope Pius XII supporters await progress on cause

Published: 2006-04-28

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With the 50th anniversary of the death of Pope Pius XII coming up in two years, supporters of his sainthood cause are growing a little impatient. They're also growing older. The generation of church people who lived and worked with Pope Pius is quietly passing from the scene. That may have accounted, in part, for the sense of urgency among those who gathered recently at Rome's Pontifical Lateran University to hear new evidence of Pope Pius' virtues and denounce the "continuous attacks" from those who fault him for not doing enough to help Jews during World War II. The feisty tone was set by Italian Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, 89, a personal friend of the late pontiff. After listening to a Vatican envoy read a message from Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, in praise of Pope Pius, Cardinal Angelini asked the monsignor to take a message back to his superiors. "Pius XII must be declared a saint! Admiration isn't enough -- people need to get moving!" he said to applause from the packed auditorium. "Too much time has already passed," he said.

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