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Article: Pius XII as Scapegoat.
- Article from:
- First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life
- Article date:
- August 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Institute on Religion and Public Life. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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From the beginning of his papacy in 1939 until well after his death in 1958, Pope Pius XII was honored with unfeigned warmth by Jewish leaders around the world. Golda Meir was uncommonly effusive in her praise of him. Trees were planted in Israel in his honor. In 1955, the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra flew to the Vatican to give a special concert to show the nation's gratitude. In 1940, Albert Einstein wrote a tribute in Time. At his death, tributes were universal and eloquent, especially by those Jewish groups closest to his efforts.
A later generation, in contrast, has been exceedingly harsh. Why this stunning reversal? Whose interests are served? As it turns ...