Pope Francis announced this past Monday that he has decided to open the Vatican archive covering the period of WWII. This dramatic decision will expose for the first time the involvement of Pope Pius throughout the Holocaust.
For many years, Pope Pius has been castigated for his participation in the Holocaust by not having condemned and simply turning his back on Nazi crimes. He was even called `Hitler's pope.' The Vatican claims that he maintained silence so as to operate behind the scenes to save Jews.
The Israel Foreign Ministry hailed this decision and said that it "hopes that indeed free access will be made possible to the relevant archives."
The announcement notes that the archives will be opened in a year's time, on March 2, 2020. The pope declared that "the Church is not afraid of history." His decision followed repeated requests from Jewish organizations to examine the policy and activities of Pope Pius the 12th who served during the years of 1939 - 1958. Many claimed that he ignored the decimation of Jews during the Holocaust and abstained from expressing anything on the subject. Many even blamed him for aid and abetment with the Nazi regime.
In defense, the Vatican insisted that the Pope actually worked behind the scenes to save Jews but refrained from expressing himself on the subject so as not to exacerbate the situation.
