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A: This is a difficult question, and it's really not a fair one. The answer must be no. To use some parallels: Pius VI and Pius VII weren't Napoleon's popes, nor was Leo II Charlemagne's pope. Some of my colleagues think even addressing the matter this way is not the right starting point, because, they say, to accept the question implicitly legitimates the accusation. "Hitler's pope" is, indeed, a loaded phrase, not unlike: "So when did you stop beating your wife?" But it is a question Catholics hear frequently, and so we must address it.
The phrase comes from the deliberately incendiary title of a 1999 book, Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII, that sold well but was criticized by many scholars as a sloppy and unbalanced journalistic attempt at scholarship. The notion that Pius XII was somehow in Hitler's pocket is allegedly based on the years Pius XII had spent as a diplomat in Germany before his election to the papacy and his admiration of German culture. The Charges against Pius XII, however, surfaced well before this book, even to the time of world War II and the Shoah (the preferred word for Holocaust in the Jewish community) itself; critics argue that the pope did not do enough to save Jews and that he failed in his moral leadership. Others cite a history of anti-Semitism within Christianity that cannot be denied. What some call a systematic smear campaign against Pius XII dates to a play from the early 1960s, Rolf Hochhuth's The Deputy, which depicted Pius XII as criminally silent and complicit during the Shoah. The reaction to the play was resurrected by the 1999 book.
There is a variety of opinions, of course, with two extremes. Those who want to blame the Shoah on the church see a fall guy in Pius XII. Those who always defend the church, no matter what, see an anti-Catholic conspiracy in the accusation. Between are many opinions and questions. The Catholic Church's quiet and heroic record in doing much to aid Jews during the Shoah has been well documented, recognized, and praised by many mainstream secular and religious Jews. But over the centuries, Christianity contributed to a culture of anti-Semitism, as John Paul II himself noted. Could the church and Pius XII have done more? Has the Vatican been as forthcoming as it might be in allowing access to the relevant documents? Are records even available, given the dangerous times?
As with any controversy, no response will satisfy everyone. History needs time and distance from this issue, and we simply have not had enough yet. Only preliminary assessments can be offered. The best thing to do is to read more about the debate and to decide for yourself, being careful to draw from responsible scholarship and opinion while avoiding polemics or material that prejudges the matter from any angle."
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