Itongadol.- Efraim Zuroff, Wiesenthal Centre director, expressed today, in dialogue with the Jewish News Agency, Argentina, that the opening of the Vatican´s secret documents, before it decides moving forward on Pope Pius XII`s consecration, is a “very brave step of Pope Francis and will help finally resolve this complicated question about what the Holly See knew about the murder of jews, when and what was done, if there was anything, to stop it”.
Pius XII, a polemic figure, was the Catholic Church´s head from 1939 to 1958, and is accused of looking the other way during the extermination of jews during the Holocaust. Jewish organizations say that Pius chose to stay quiet and didn´t say anything when thousands of jews were sent to Auschwich in front of his nose. The Vatican insists that he really saved a lot of jews when he encouraged his followers to give them shelter in churches.
“The new Pope is bringing a spirit of change a renovation in the Vatican. Hes is having a different attitude and approach. I think that what he is doing is fantastic”, Zuroff said.
Even though he said he doesn´t know what outcome this new initiative could have, he outlined that it was a “very important action”. “If it is found out that Pius know and didn´t help, we will refuse to let him become a saint. We suspect that he had information and didn´t act strongly enough against the persecution of jews”, he added.
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