Pius XII was great man of charity, Pope Benedict says

(April 10, 2010) Pope Pius XII was the “father of all” and “carried out his charity in Rome and in the world,” particularly in the difficult period of the Second World War. Pope Benedict made the observation on Friday evening at the papal summer residence of Castelgandolfo, outside Rome, after watching a movie on Pius XII titled “Under the Roman Sky.” Produced by Italian state television RAI and LUZ video, the film is the story about Hitler's treatment of the Jews in Rome during the Nazi occupation of the city, and their attempt to kidnap Pope Pius XII, who headed the Catholic Church from 1939 to 1958. “With his rich teaching he knew how to talk to the people of his time showing them the road of truth,” Pope Benedict said about his predecessor who is accused by may, mainly Jews, of not doing enough to stop the Holocaust. “With his great wisdom he knew how to direct the Church toward the horizon of the third millennium,” Pope Benedict said, adding that his predecessor had a fundamental role in saving Rome and the numerous persecuted, between 1943 and 1944. He “'was a great teacher of faith, hope and charity,” Pope Benedict added.