Pope Pius XII was no hero

The Vatican has affirmed that the controversial Pope Pius XII led a model life and has thus freed the way for his beatification. The left-liberal Süddeutsche Zeitung protests at what it says is a false depiction of the pope as a freedom fighter: "Pius XII allowed the almost concluded encyclical against racism and persecution of the Jews to languish in the archives because he was afraid it would do more harm than good. … This pope should be a case for historical research and not the subject of a beatification process. Pope Benedict's determination to push through the process despite all the reservations … is detrimental to a sober assessment of Eugenio Pacelli. Once again we see how little regard Benedict has for the political consequences of his decisions. First there was the Good Friday prayer for the conversion of the Jews, then the rehabilitation of Holocaust denier Williamson, and now the honouring of Pope Pius XII. What John Paul II achieved in terms of establishing good relations with the Jews in this world now threatens to be destroyed."

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