pope benedict and pius the great

Several weeks ago, an impassioned debate was sparked over the appropriateness of the Pope’s bearing a crucifix at the Western Wall. This week he finally made that appearance. Not surprisingly, the reviews were highly critical.

His speech was described as ‘restrained’ and ‘cold’ by an Israeli newspaper. Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin was outraged that he delivered an historical speech, even though ‘he was a part of them.’

When John Paul II spoke at the Western Wall he called for God’s forgiveness for the suffering of the Jewish people. Benedict mentioned the pain and suffering of the Jewish people, and the horror of the Holocaust. He called for peace in the Middle East. But for some, this was not good enough. Apparently, there was some expectation among Jewish leaders that Benedict would be apologizing insofar as he is, both, a Christian and a German raised in the Hitler Youth.

The Hitler Youth was a compuslory paramilitary troop. German boys above ten were required to join by the end of the war. Pope Benedict was fourteen years old when he joined. During the Cold War, nearly every West German leader was a former member of the group – possibly there was some coorelation between the facts that the group was COMPULSORY and that EVERY male in Germany was a former a member. The Pope is a member of this aging generation. They don’t owe a special apology to anyone for having been forced, by a murderous tyrant, into a paramilitary troop as boys and teenagers.

Christians in general do not owe an apology for the Holocaust. So often we hear of the six million Jews killed in the concentraion camps. This is true. And it is true that the Jewish community of Europe felt the greatest proportional impact of the Holocaust. More than sixty, perhaps as much as eighty percent of European Jews were killed. But what groups do we suppose comprised the other six to ten million who were killed in the camps? Is it often mentioned that Catholic clergymen were primary targets of the Nazis? Such as one Maximillian Kolbe who voluntarily martyred himself for a Jew at Auschwitz. (The Jew lived to see another fifty years; and Maximillian was sainted.). Do we hear that millions of Christians were slaughtered in the death camps as well?

Of course there is no shortage of propaganda constantly disseminated about the role of Pius XII during the Nazi era. Of course, not more than ten years ago it was discovered that both the Kremlin and Hitler had aims for the pontiff’s assassination, and that both feared his allegiance to the other. Both used the Holy See in various functions of their propaganda. Today, many still believe this propaganda, despite the fact that the Nazis and the Communists shared no greater or more formative enemy than the Holy See.

There is talk of Hitler’s “Catholicism.” Hitler was a mysticist with a demonic world view, who believed in his own authority. He was not like a Christian monarch of old Europe deriving his authority from the Holy See. While he may have occasionally paid lipservice to Catholicism in public (as any good tyrannical propagandist would in a nation full of Catholics), no reasonable person thinks for a minute that Adolf Hitler was a devout Catholic. The whole Nazi government was, quite obviously, inherently un-Christian. And yet, the allegations are pervasive – no matter how nonsensical they remain.

(Who knows. Perhaps when America falls people will be talking about Bill Clinton’s devout Christianity and the theocratic government he ran.)

Pope Pius XII issued thousands of fake Baptismal certificates and visas to European Jews. Oskar Schindler saved 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. All tolled, Pius saved more than 800,000 Jews. While 60-75% of Europe’s Jewish population was annihilated by the Nazis, 80% of Italian Jews were spared by Pius’ efforts to shelter, deport, and lie about as many Jews as he could.

And yet while we have Academy Award winning movies about great men like Schindler, saintly men like Pius are called Nazis. And peaceful men like Benedict are called on to apologize.

Three millions Poles were slaughtered – mainly Catholics. Of course, the Polish Pope we just had for twenty five years dedicate great efforts in his pontiff to reconciliation. To building bridges with Jews and Muslims. To solidarity with the people of Europe’s Soviet bloc. Benedict no doubt shares the same mission as John Paul.

But a lot of arrogant Israelis have picked a fight with Benedict out of hatred and prejudice. They think he owes a constant duty to explain himself, and prove that he is not an anti-semite. There is no appeasing them. Benedict could have fallen to his knees at the Western Wall, and it just would not have been fast enough for people like Rivlin.