Was Pius XII Hitler's Pope

Q: My teacher told me that Pope Pius XII signed a document endorsing Nazi Germany, giving the Church’s stamp of approval to Hitler. Is that true?

A: No, Popes Pius XI and Pius XII always had an anti-Nazi policy, though some people have made outrageous statements that Pope Pius XII had “embraced Nazism,” or at the very least acted like a coward and did nothing to stop the Nazis. This is not true. Before and during the war Pope Pius XII did everything in his power to save as many Jews from the Nazis as possible.

From 1917 to 1929 Pope Pius XII (who was then Cardinal Pacelli) gave at least forty speeches in Germany assaulting Hitler’s doctrines and/or Nazism. During the war Pope Pius XII hid, bedded, clothed, and fed, 4,000 to 7,000 Jews in the Vatican City itself.

Rabbi Lapide recorded: “No less than 3,000 Jews found refuge at one time at the Pope’s summer residence at Castel Gandolfo; sixty lived for nine months at the Jesuit Gregorian University, and half a dozen slept in the cellar of the Pontifical Bible Institute.”

All total the Catholic Church helped save 700,000 to 860,000 people. This is by far more than any other organization. (How Pius XII Protected Jews by Jimmy Akin)

Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Isaac Herzog, sent Pope Pius XII a letter of gratitude on February 28, 1944. In it he said: “The people of Israel will never forget what His Holiness and his illustrious delegates, inspired by the eternal principles of religion which form the very foundations of true civilization, are doing for us unfortunate brothers and sisters in the most tragic hour of our history, which is living proof of divine Providence in this world.”

On April 7, 1944, Rabbi Safran of Bucharest, Romania sent a note of thanks to the pope: “It is not easy for us to find the right words to express the warmth and consolation we experienced because of the concern of the supreme pontiff, who offered a large sum to relieve the sufferings of deported Jews . . . The Jews of Romania will never forget these facts of historic importance.”

“What the Vatican did will be indelibly and eternally engraved in our hearts. . . . Priests and even high prelates did things that will forever be an honor to Catholicism,” said Chief Rabbi of Rome, Israel Zolli, who later converted to Catholicism.

Christian

Additional Resource: Hitler, the War and the Pope by Ronald J. Rychlak [Our Sunday Visitor]

Anarchy and Government

Q: Is practicing anarchism a bad thing? Do we have to respect the government if we don’t want to?

A: Yes, practicing anarchism is wrong. Remember that God has placed those in authority above us, whether it be parents, elders, or government. This doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to agree with everything those in the government decide, but a certain amount of respect must be given to them.

Tom

Should Catholics Force Their Pro-Life Beliefs on Society

Q: I am a Catholic and part of an online forum where we hold a few debates once and a while. One that's come up is the subject of abortion. One of the people arguing in favor of it is a Catholic and she claims that since America allows freedom of religion, Christians and Catholics should not try to 'force' their beliefs on others. How can I argue that abortion is a serious crime?

A: First off, freedom of religion is the freedom for one to practice any religion they want, since abortion isn't a religious practice I don't see how it falls under freedom of religion. Our country was founded on basic Christian morals, "One nation under God..." And God's list of basic morals is found in the Ten Commandments, one of which is "Though shall not kill".

If this argument isn't good enough than there is the overwhelming evidence that human life begins at the moment of conception. In that instant human DNA that is unique from the mother is created.

"Embryo: The developing individual between the union of the germ cells and the completion of the organs which characterize its body when it becomes a separate organism.... At the moment the sperm cell of the human male meets the ovum of the female and the union results in a fertilized ovum (zygote), a new life has begun.... The term embryo covers the several stages of early development from conception to the ninth or tenth week of life."
[Considine, Douglas (ed.). Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia. 5th edition. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1976, p. 943]

So if we know that life begins at the conception of a human embryo, and that abortion destroys the embryo, then we can say that abortion is the destruction of a human life. And that my friend is considered murder.

Paul

Catholic Politicians and Personal Beliefs

Q: I’ve heard Catholic politicians say that religion is a private matter and should have nothing to do with public policy. Is it okay for them to ignore personal religious beliefs when making laws?

A: No, it’s not okay. No matter what we do, whether it is politics or anything else, God and our religion should be a priority. For example, many politicians say that abortion is a personal thing, and that it is up to you if you want to murder an innocent child. This is wrong. To go and defy all moral laws and one’s own religion like that is plain wrong. No matter your reasons, nothing can justify such an act. Your “personal religious beliefs” are important and you should never compromise them to get elected or for any reason. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta once said, “I believe that politicians spend too little time on their knees. I am convinced that they would be better politicians if they were to do so.”

Christian