Biography rejects charges of pope’s anti-Semitism

Charges of anti-Semitism against Pope Pius XII are not supported by historical documents, according to a new biography.Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli writes that the allegations of Pius turning a blind eye to the Holocaust are part of a “black legend,” Ha’aretz reported. Critics say Pius, who was pope from 1939 to 1958, remained silent in the face of Hitler’s war against the Jews. His supporters say he worked quietly to save Jews throughout Europe. Tornielli cites new documents from family archives to bolster his claim. The documents show that Pius had a close relationship with a Jewish classmate while in high school and that as the Vatican’s secretary of state, Pius helped the boy’s family escape to Switzerland.