In Defense of Pope Pius XII

Fr. Gordon J. MacRae, for those who are not familiar with him, is a Catholic priest who was unjustly accused of a sexual crime two decades ago. He was wrongly convicted and has been in prison for 18 years, doing such good works that one can surely see God had a plan. You can read about his case here. As an aside, up to 50% of clergy are wrongly accused. This does not make the real cases any less heinous, it is simply an uncomfortable truth.

This post, however, is about Fr. MacRae's investigatory article about the complicity of the New York Times in its propaganda efforts to destroy the reputation of Pope Pius XII and also, to hide the newspaper's complicity in downplaying and covering up the Holocaust.

Hitler’s Pope, Nazi Crimes, and The New York Times

It is not light reading. It is worthwhile reading. Here is a snippet:

You have all read or heard the claims that Pope Pius XII was silent, at best, during the Holocaust, and at worst secured an accommodation with the Third Reich that saved the Catholic Church at the expense of the Jews. It’s not at all true, but the truth has had an uphill climb against the pervasive story, told again and again, that Pope Pius XII failed to confront Hitler during his systematic genocide of over six million European Jews and millions of others. You’ve heard the story of this supposed silence in a slanderous media sound bite that Pope Pius XII was “Hitler’s Pope.” Next to the “pedophile priest” propaganda, it is probably the most often used and abused modern anti-Catholic slur. But simply put, it is a lie.

Awaiting the Coming of Christ, it is right and just to remember and pray for those in prison, especially those unjustly accused.