A symposium in Rome will reveal new information about the controversial wartime Pope Pius XII.
Pave the Way, a U.S.-based, nonsectarian organization that promotes interreligious dialogue, is sponsoring the three-day symposium that begins Monday to study the papacy of Pope Pius XII. Earlier this year, Pave the Way announced it was investigating Pius’ papacy by interviewing eyewitnesses and gathering publicly available documentation and newspaper accounts.
The organization said it had uncovered information that contradicted criticism that Pius turned a blind eye to the Holocaust.
“We have discovered many personal intercessions of Pope Pius XII which directly contradict the impression that he remained silent and did nothing to save Jewish lives,” said Pave the Way President Gary Krupp.
Krupp has close ties with the Vatican. In January 2007, he became the first Jewish man to be knighted by two popes when he was promoted to the highest Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great. He received a previous papal knighthood in 2000.
A spokesman for Pave the Way said the meeting is expected to “present new documentation that has never been revealed before” regarding Pius XII.
