Vatican during WW2?
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This is more a question about history than religion.
See I was just thinking, during WW2 Italy was facist for most of it. The Vatican of course, wouldn't have supported the regime. However, Vatican City is smack within Italy. How did the Vatican and the Pope deal with that? Were they threatened in any way? Did facist italy invade or threaten to invade the Vatican? Was some sort of pact or truce signed? And who was the pope during WW2? -
Interesting question. But isn't the Vatician city always operating as a separate city and the ruler is the pope and his council. THe Pope is highly respected in Italy and he dont usually interfere with politics because of these he shld be save during the war.
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hard to say. Popes have been heavily involved in politics and international affairs in the past, and they certainly have been threatened and even murdered in the past. Of course in more recent times, things have gotten more toned down. But u can never tell with those crazy facists, who knows they might have thought that they could use the Vatican to further their cause.
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I think you will get better response in Military Nuts.
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oh... well any one here who knows about the history during that period is welcome to answer as well. thanks
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I cant access to the Holy Communion threads.
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i think so too, vatican was also a country by itself, i guess at that time... they lay lowOriginally posted by NewAge:Interesting question. But isn't the Vatician city always operating as a separate city and the ruler is the pope and his council. THe Pope is highly respected in Italy and he dont usually interfere with politics because of these he shld be save during the war. -
its so obviously a sign from God. heed or go to hell!Originally posted by NT2:I cant access to the Holy Communion threads. 
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Maybe the Vatican supported the Facist and the Nazis? Not very far fetched.Originally posted by HENG@:This is more a question about history than religion.
See I was just thinking, during WW2 Italy was facist for most of it. The Vatican of course, wouldn't have supported the regime. However, Vatican City is smack within Italy. How did the Vatican and the Pope deal with that? Were they threatened in any way? Did facist italy invade or threaten to invade the Vatican? Was some sort of pact or truce signed? And who was the pope during WW2? -
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Marrus.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_XI
Heng.... if you are still interested....
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ah ok. thanksOriginally posted by Chin Eng:http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Marrus.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_XI
Heng.... if you are still interested.... -
Interestingly, I was flipping thru my cousin's Catholic magazine, cant remember the name, plus Time magazines he had in his house, mostly the main features are on John Paul II
Two things
The articles noted John Paul's effort towards reconciliation with the Jews, especially during his visit to Israel in 2000. I think, for whatever non-interference stance the Vatican took during WW2, and the Holocaust, John Paul has made significant attempt to make up for that mistake during the world war.
Second issue is on absolving the Jews of crimes towards Jesus, and discontinue the act of stating Christianity as a replacement or continuation of Judaism.
Frankly, put it this way, Hitler may has his warped views that the Jews were the scourges of Europe, but this view also has it basis in the two millenium prejudice against the Jews, or specifically the believers of Judaism.
Besides RC, do other churches or denominations ever take a step towards addressing this issue or make reconciliation attempts with the Jews? -
in a way tho, while the Vatican did not attempt to condemn Hitler's holocaust, many Catholic Priests did speak up and take action against it. I know that many were involved in helping Jews flee occupied Nazi Europe.
And we have to consider Pope Pius XII, who had to consider retribution against Catholics within occupied countries too, if the Vatican made any official stand. Certainly they took a lot of unofficial action against the holocaust as well. -
Albert Einstein also praised the efforts of Pius XII and the Catholic Church after World War II: "Only the Catholic Church protested against the Hitlerian onslaught on liberty. Up till then I had not been interested in the Church, but today I feel a great admiration for the Church, which alone has had the courage to struggle for spiritual truth and moral liberty." Statement made in 1946 as quoted in Three Popes and the Jews by Pinchas E. Lapide (New York: Hawthorn, 1967), p. 251.
"The Catholic Church, under the pontificate of Pope Pius XII was instrumental in saving at least 700,000, but probably as many as 860,000, Jews from certain death at Nazi hands." **Pinchas E. Lapide, Three Popes and the Jews (1967).
"No Pope in history has been thanked more heartily by Jews. Upon his death in 1958, several suggested in open letters that a Pope Pius XII forest of 860,000 trees be planted on the hills of Judea in order to fittingly honor the memory of the late Pontiff because the Catholic Church under the pontificate of Pius XII was instrumental in saving the lives of as many as 860,000 Jews from certain death at Nazi hands."
Pinchas E. Lapide, Three Popes and the Jews (1967). -
"If the pope had spoken out, Hitler would probably have massacred more than six million Jews and perhaps ten times ten million Catholics, if he had the power to do so."Originally posted by HENG@:in a way tho, while the Vatican did not attempt to condemn Hitler's holocaust, many Catholic Priests did speak up and take action against it. I know that many were involved in helping Jews flee occupied Nazi Europe.
And we have to consider Pope Pius XII, who had to consider retribution against Catholics within occupied countries too, if the Vatican made any official stand. Certainly they took a lot of unofficial action against the holocaust as well.
Rabbi Marcus Melchior, Holocaust survivor and Chief Rabbi of Denmark, 1950. -
in times of war, decisions can be very difficult to make. I have no doubt the Pope did the best he could. I am still wondering tho, if Facist Italy had at anytime secretly tried to invade Vatican.Originally posted by Honeybunz:"If the pope had spoken out, Hitler would probably have massacred more than six million Jews and perhaps ten times ten million Catholics, if he had the power to do so."
Rabbi Marcus Melchior, Holocaust survivor and Chief Rabbi of Denmark, 1950. -
vatican is 2 small to do anything and they don want to pope to die, so does the europeans who worshipOriginally posted by HENG@:This is more a question about history than religion.
See I was just thinking, during WW2 Italy was facist for most of it. The Vatican of course, wouldn't have supported the regime. However, Vatican City is smack within Italy. How did the Vatican and the Pope deal with that? Were they threatened in any way? Did facist italy invade or threaten to invade the Vatican? Was some sort of pact or truce signed? And who was the pope during WW2?