Vatican Defends Naming Pope Pius XII Venerable

(December 24, 2009) A Vatican spokesperson today said that Pope Pius XII has been declared "venerable" because he is a model for Christian life, not because of the historical decisions he made. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office and Vatican Radio said in a statement Wednesday in response to Pope Benedict XVI's declaration Saturday recognizing the heroic virtue of Pope Pius XII. The decree brings the II World War Pontiff one step closer to canonization and gives him the title "venerable." Father Lombardi acknowledged that the declaration "has elicited a certain number of reactions in the Jewish world" and offered a clarification of what the decree means. Though many historians recognize Pope Pius XII's endeavours that resulted in saving thousands of Jews from the Nazi death camps, there are still those who contend that he did too little. Father Lombardi explained that the recognition of heroic virtue "takes account of the circumstances in which the person lived, and hence it is necessary to examine the question from a historical standpoint, but the evaluation essentially concerns the witness of Christian life that the person showed, his intense relationship with God and continuous search for evangelical perfection, and not the historical impact of all his operative decisions." Further historical study of Pope Pius XII's defence of the Jews is therefore still open, the spokesman affirmed. Father Lombardi also responded to certain rumours that the simultaneous canonisation of both Pope Pius XII and Pope John Paul II. "They are completely independent of one another and each will follow its own course," he said. At the same time Father Lombardi reiterated Pope Benedict XVI's great respect for the Jewish people and said that the Pope's forthcoming visit to the Synagogue of Rome will be an opportunity for the cordial reiteration and reinforcement of ties of friendship and respect."