Cardinal praises unknown heroes of the Holocaust

BY STAFF REPORTER
A LEADING British historian of the Second World War has published a book which documents the actions of the Church and Pope Pius XII in rescuing Jews from Nazi persecution.
Sir Martin Gilbert's The Righteous, Unknown Heroes of the Holocaust was published by Citth Nuova and presented in Rome last week.
Sir Martin, 70, is a professor of the history of the Holocaust at University College, London, and the author of 72 books. Known as the official biographer of Winston Churchill, he was knighted in 1995 for his service to British history and international relations. The presentation ceremony enabled top Holy See representatives, historians and Jewish representatives to hear the conclusions of the Jewish author.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, explained that the Jews' history "is a history of the good, or rather a current of good that runs through humanity regardless of religious differences".
Cardinal Bertone highlighted the role played by Poland, where it is estimated that a million citizens were involved in saving Jews.
"It is often forgotten that Poland was the only country where the death penalty was in force for helping Jews," said the cardinal, adding that an entire family was butchered for hiding eight Jews.
With reference to the Church's intervention, especially Pope Pius XII's, the cardinal said that it was not just a question "of organising bureaucratically the search for the dispersed and assistance to prisoners. They were helped in every way possible.
"It is clear that Pope Pacelli was not about silence but about intelligent and strategic speaking, as demonstrated in the 1942 Christmas radio message which infuriated Hitler," he said. 'The proofs are in the Vatican archives, where one finds, for example, the 1928 declaration of the former Holy Office, very simple and very clear, condemning anti-Semitism, a document that was totally forgotten as if the condemnation of anti-Semitism was only that of Vatican II."
Gerard Noel: Page 9