How the silence of Pius XII saved thousands of Roman Jews

In September of 1943, Hitler ordered General Karl Wolff, SS commander for Italy and deputy to Heinrich Himmler to develop a plan to invade the Vatican, kidnap the Pope, seize the Vatican assets, and kill the Roman Curia. The plan was to be carried out immediately.

General Wolff, fearing the rioting throughout Europe that would result if this plan was carried out and the military disaster this would be for the Nazi’s, talked Hitler into postponing the invasion.

Pius XII learned of the impending attack and called a meeting of the cardinals. Pius XII informed the cardinals that the Vatican would be invaded and that he expected to be killed. He instructed the cardinals to flee to neutral countries at the first sign of an invasion of the Vatican. Pius XII signed a letter of resignation and placed it in his desk. The cardinals were instructed to form a government in exile and elect a new Pope once they were safe. Pius XII instructed the Swiss Guard to not resist the invading Nazis with firepower and to focus their efforts on protecting the Vatican Library and museum contents.

The German ambassador to the Holy See, Ernst von Weizsäcker also feared the rioting such an invasion would cause, and sent deceptive positive messages about the Pope to Berlin to calm Hitler.

The following is how Pope Pius XII used the Nazi general’s fears of rioting in the wake of a Vatican invasion to save thousands of Italian Jews during World War II:

HOW A STRATEGY OF "SILENCE" SAVED THOUSANDS OF JEWS

When the early morning arrests began Oct. 16, 1943, Pius XII was alerted to this by Princess Enza Pignatelli Aragona Cortes. He immediately took multiple steps to force the Germans to stop the arrests. He summoned the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Maglione, and instructed him to launch a vehement protest against the arrests. Cardinal Maglione warned von Weizsacker that same morning, that the Pope could not remain silent as they arrested the Jews under his very windows, in his own diocese. Pius XII then sent his nephew, Carlo Pacelli, to meet with a German sympathizer, Bishop Alois Hudal, to instruct him to write a letter to his German contacts to immediately stop the arrests.


This too proved ineffective. Pius XII's last effort, the most successful, was to send his close confidant, Salvatorian Superior General Father Pankratius Pfeiffer, to meet directly with the military governor of Rome, General Stahel. Father Pfeiffer warned Stahel that the Pope was going to launch a loud and public protest against these arrests if they were not stopped. Fear that this public protest would result in Hitler's ordering the invasion of the Vatican prompted Stahel to act.


General Stahel immediately telephoned Heinrich Himmler, and fabricated military grounds to stop the arrests. Trusting Stahel's assessment, Himmler advised Hitler to stop the arrests. The order to stop the arrests was issued at noon on Oct. 16, resulting in its implementation by 2 p.m. on the day they began.

Read more: Zenit

General Stahel paid for his deception by being sent to the Eastern front. Pius XII’s desperate gamble that day saved thousands of Jews from being sent to their deaths at Auschwitz. He risked his own life and the destruction of the Vatican in order to end the arrests of the Roman Jews that day.






[edit on 5/26/10 by FortAnthem]

reply to post by FortAnthem


I knw this, but thanks for bringing it up because it's an interesting chapter of 20th century history.

However, I think you'll find the self-styled liberal and democratic vox populi doesn't really like "conspiracies" (seeing this is the topic under which this is filed), especially in Church matters, unless they present the clergy in a bad light.









[edit on 26-5-2010 by AdAstra]

Originally posted by FortAnthem
Pius XII learned of the impending attack and called a meeting of the cardinals. Pius XII informed the cardinals that the Vatican would be invaded and that he expected to be killed. He instructed the cardinals to flee to neutral countries at the first sign of an invasion of the Vatican. Pius XII signed a letter of resignation and placed it in his desk. The cardinals were instructed to form a government in exile and elect a new Pope once they were safe. Pius XII instructed the Swiss Guard to not resist the invading Nazis with firepower and to focus their efforts on protecting the Vatican Library and museum contents.

Now that is a true leader.

RC

Originally posted by AdAstra
reply to post by FortAnthem

 

However, I think you'll find the self-styled liberal and democratic vox populi doesn't really like "conspiracies" (seeing this is the topic under which this is filed), especially in Church matters, unless they present the clergy in a bad light.

Yeah, I know. These threads never get much interest.

Still, I can never pass up a chance to rip holes in the disinformation campeign of the black legend of Pope Pius XII.

[edit on 5/26/10 by FortAnthem]

Pope Pius XII was our last pope. A true man of G_D!
After him Novus Ordo (The New Order) and Vatican 2 were ushered in.
May G_D help his church and strengthen the faith of it's believers.

reply to post by FortAnthem


"Not much interest" is the best case scenario.
I was expecting more blasting.

But I guess the sources make it somewhat difficult to argue the opposite, so silence is the next best thing.