Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust

Further information: Pope Pius XII and Judaism The relationship between Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust has long been controversial , with some scholars arguing that he kept silent during the Holocaust , while others have argued that he saved thousands if not tens or hundreds of thousands of Jews. Although Pius generally made only muted criticisms of Hitler and Nazi Germany, he was willing to apply direct diplomatic pressure when dealing with Axis satellite states such as Hungary, Romania, Slovakia where he deemed that doing so could achieve positive outcomes. His efforts resulted in the saving of thousands of lives. Similarly, there are many documented instances of initiatives taken by local Catholics under the covert direction and moral support of Pius XII. There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a template (see the help page ).

Members of the Canadian Royal 22 Regiment in audience with Pope Pius XII , following the 1944 Liberation of Rome The start of the pontificate of Pius XII occurred at the time of the Second World War and the Nazi Holocaust , which over the course of the war would see the murder of millions of Jews and others by Adolf Hitler 's Germany. Pius employed diplomacy to aid the victims of the Nazis during the war and, through directing his Church to provide discreet aid to Jews and others, saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Pius maintained links to the German Resistance , and shared intelligence with the Allies. His strongest public condemnation of genocide was, however, considered inadequate by the Allied Powers, while the Nazis viewed him as an Allied sympathizer who had dishonoured his policy of Vatican neutrality. Some post-war critics have accused Pius of either being overly cautious, or of "not doing enough", or even of "silence" in the face of the Holocaust . Yet, supporters have held that he saved thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands of Jews by ordering his Church to provide them with sanctuary and aid, and that he provided moral and intellectual leadership in opposition to the violent racism of Nazi ideology. Pius XII had served as a Vatican diplomat in Germany prior to the war and as Vatican Secretary of State under Pius XI . In this capacity he had been a critic of Nazism and helped draft the 1937 Mit brennender Sorge anti-Nazi encyclical. In his 1939 Summi Pontificatus first papal encyclical , Pius XII expressed dismay at the 1939 Invasion of Poland ; reiterated Catholic teaching against racism and antisemitism ; and endorsed resistance against those opposed to the ethical principles of the " Revelation on Sinai " and the Sermon on the Mount . At Christmas 1942, once evidence of the industrial slaughter of the Jews had emerged, he voiced concern at the murder of "hundreds of thousands" of "faultless" people because of their "nationality or race". Pius intervened to attempt to block Nazi deportations of Jews in various countries from 1942–1944. Upon his death in 1958, Pius was praised emphatically by the Israeli Foreign Minister , and other world leaders. But his insistence on Vatican neutrality and avoidance of naming the Nazis as the evildoers of the conflict became the foundation for contemporary and later criticisms from some quarters. Studies of the Vatican archives and international diplomatic correspondence continue. The Oxford Companion to World War II . National Association of Catholic Families .

Overview of the relationship between Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust Members of the Canadian Royal 22 Regiment in audience with Pope Pius XII , following the 1944 Liberation of Rome The papacy of Pius XII (Eugenio Pacelli) began on 2 March 1939 and continued to 9 October 1958, covering the period of the Second World War and the Holocaust , during which millions of Jews and Christians were murdered by Adolf Hitler 's Germany . Before becoming pope, Cardinal Pacelli served as a Vatican diplomat in Germany and as Vatican Secretary of State under Pius XI . His role during the Nazi period has been closely scrutinised and criticised. His supporters argue that Pius employed diplomacy to aid the victims of the Nazis during the war and, through directing his Church to provide discreet aid to Jews and others, saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Pius maintained links to the German Resistance , and shared intelligence with the Allies. His strongest public condemnation of genocide was, however, considered inadequate by the Allied Powers, while the Nazis viewed him as an Allied sympathizer who had dishonoured his policy of Vatican neutrality. Some post-war critics have accused Pius of either being overly cautious, or of "not doing enough", or even of "silence" in the face of the Holocaust. Supporters have held that he saved thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands of Jews by ordering his Church to provide them with sanctuary and aid, and that he provided moral and intellectual leadership in opposition to the violent racism of Nazi ideology. As Secretary of State, he had been a critic of Nazism and helped draft the 1937 Mit brennender Sorge anti-Nazi encyclical. In his 1939 Summi Pontificatus first papal encyclical , Pius XII expressed dismay at the 1939 Invasion of Poland (without ascribing blame); reiterated Catholic teaching in support of universal brotherhood; and endorsed resistance against those opposed to the ethical principles of the " Revelation on Sinai " and the Sermon on the Mount . At Christmas 1942, once evidence of the industrial slaughter of the Jews had emerged, he voiced concern at the murder of "hundreds of thousands" of "faultless" people because of their "nationality or race". The degree of Pius's efforts to block Nazi deportations of Jews remains a matter of scholarly debate. Upon his death in 1958, Pius was praised emphatically by the Israeli Foreign Minister , and other world leaders. Eisenhower called him a "foe of tyranny" and a "friend and benefactor to those who were oppressed". His insistence on Vatican neutrality and avoidance of directly naming the Nazis as the evildoers of World War II became the foundation for contemporary and later criticisms from some quarters. Studies of the Vatican Apostolic Archive and international diplomatic correspondence continue. The Oxford Companion to World War II . National Association of Catholic Families . The myth of Hitler's Pope : how Pope Pius XII rescued Jews from the Nazis . Pius XII (1939) , para. 6 & 7.

Members of the Canadian Royal 22 Regiment in audience with Pope Pius XII , following the 1944 Liberation of Rome The papacy of Pius XII (Eugenio Pacelli) began on 2 March 1939 and continued to 9 October 1958, covering the period of the Second World War and the Holocaust , during which millions of Jews were murdered by Adolf Hitler 's Germany . Before becoming pope, Cardinal Pacelli served as a Vatican diplomat in Germany and as Vatican Secretary of State under Pius XI . His role during the Nazi period has been closely scrutinised and criticised. His supporters argue that Pius employed diplomacy to aid the victims of the Nazis during the war and, through directing his Church to provide discreet aid to Jews and others, saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Pius maintained links to the German Resistance , and shared intelligence with the Allies, but at the same time he developed alliances with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy and even arranged secret negotiations with Hitler's envoys. His strongest public condemnation of genocide was, however, considered inadequate by the Allied Powers, while the Nazis viewed him as an Allied sympathizer who had dishonoured his policy of Vatican neutrality. Some post-war critics have asserted that Pius was either overly cautious or did not take sufficient action, and some have described his response as silent in regard to the Holocaust. Supporters have held that he saved thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands, of Jews by ordering his Church to provide them with sanctuary and aid, and that he provided moral and intellectual leadership in opposition to the violent racism of Nazi ideology. As Secretary of State, he had been a critic of Nazism and helped draft the 1937 Mit brennender Sorge anti-Nazi encyclical. In his 1939 Summi Pontificatus first papal encyclical , Pius XII expressed dismay at the 1939 Invasion of Poland (without ascribing blame); reiterated Catholic teaching in support of universal brotherhood and endorsed resistance against those opposed to the ethical principles of the " Revelation on Sinai " and the Sermon on the Mount . At Christmas 1942, once evidence of the industrial slaughter of the Jews had emerged, he voiced concern at the murder of "hundreds of thousands" of "faultless" people because of their "nationality or race". The degree of Pius's efforts to block Nazi deportations of Jews remains a matter of scholarly debate. Upon his death in 1958, Pius was praised emphatically by the Israeli Foreign Minister , and other world leaders. Eisenhower called him a "foe of tyranny" and a "friend and benefactor to those who were oppressed". His insistence on Vatican neutrality and avoidance of directly naming the Nazis as the evildoers of World War II became the foundation for contemporary and later criticisms from some quarters. Studies of the Vatican Apostolic Archive and international diplomatic correspondence continue. The Oxford Companion to World War II . (5 May 2025) [Originally published 29 June 2006]. National Association of Catholic Families . The myth of Hitler's Pope: how Pope Pius XII rescued Jews from the Nazis . Pius XII (1939) , para. 6 & 7.