Contemporary interpretations of the pontificate of Pius XII (1939-1958) are divided into those that condemn the Pope for his silence and inactivity during the Holocaust, and those that defend him for his help to the Jews. These divided opinions are illustrated by the summary of the Pope's activity during the Holocaust, which we can find at the Yad Vashem exhibition of 2005. It is the most controversial issue in the relations of the Holy See and the State of Israel, especially that it is an obstacle in Pius XII's canonization process. In this article, seven Yad Vashem theses concerning the Pope's role during the Holocaust, are analyzed in order to establish to what extent they are justified or unjustified doubts concerning the canonization of Eugenio Pacelli (1876-1958).
The response of Pope Pius XII to the Holocaust has been discussed since the Holocaust itself. A crucial episode was the events of October 16, 1943, when the SS seized more than one thousand Roman Jews and the Pope did little about it. The historiography has highlighted this 'Under His Very Windows' drama. This article suggests that a number of issues weighing heavily on Pius XII at that time inhibited his response.
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