The book published last weekend by the Vatican, disclosing much of the wartime correspondence between the late Pope Pius XII and German bishops, refutes completely the “slanders and libels” leveled against Pius and his alleged silence in the face of Hitler’s program to annihilate the Jews of Europe, it was stated here today by Corriere della Sera, Italy’s leading newspaper.
A lengthy article in the newspaper, by a noted columnist, Augusto Guerriere, analyzed the 450-page book of papal documents, and concluded that the charges against Pius made by the German playwright, Rolf Hochhuth, in his controversial play, “The Deputy” have now been answered; The writer contended that the papal data showed conclusively that Hochhuth “falsified history, ” and that Pope Pius had given help, morally and economically, to Jews and Catholics who defied Nazism.
Other analyses here today took the same point of view. It was noted that Pope Pius had encouraged, stimulated and applauded German bishops who had spoken out against Hitler; It was also emphasized that the published volume shows that Pope Pius had not, as some reports stated, “welcomed” Hitler’s attack against Russia as a crusade against world Communism.
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