Pope Pius Xii

GIVEN that the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church are not famous for public self- criticism, the recent Vatican statement of repentance for the spiritual failure of its members in the face of the Holocaust is an astonishment for which humane people can only be grateful.Given that the Holocaust was such an unspeakable horror, it is not surprising that some Jewish leaders have found it wanting. But considering the terrors of half a century ago, almost anything said or done today would be too little and too late.

Mildred Kern, an original resident of the North Oaks Retirement Community who had worked overseas for the United Nations, died of heart disease Sunday at her home. She was six days short of turning 105. "She was our oldest resident, and she was our very first resident," said Mark E. Pressman, the retirement community's executive director. "She and her sister actually moved in before the building was finished. She showed the first apartments at times and was actively interested in our growth.

For 60 years, debate has raged about who or what might have deterred Adolf Hitler's rise to power and his Holocaust. Among world leaders during Hitler's era, few if any have ignited more intense controversy than Pope Pius XII. Before his ascension, he was known as Eugenio Pacelli, serving as a Vatican diplomat during the 1920s and 1930s. He was elevated to the papacy in 1939 and died in 1958, in the 59th year of his priesthood and his 82nd year on Earth.He is now within short reach -- perhaps a year -- of being declared a saint.

As 11 American Roman Catholic cardinals join with their colleagues in Rome to elect the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, it is interesting to note that three cardinals who visited Baltimore during the last century were eventually elected pope. The first to visit Baltimore was Cardinal Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli, who was then Papal secretary of state. The future Pope Pius XII paid what The Baltimore Sun called a "fleeting visit" on Oct. 21, 1936. "The occasion marked the first time a Papal Secretary of State ever has visited the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Prime See of the United States," reported the newspaper.

Cardinal John Joseph Carberry, 93, retired archbishop of St. Louis, died there Wednesday.He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1929. In 1956, he was named bishop of Lafayette, Ind., by Pope Pius XII, and in 1965 was appointed Bishop of Columbus, Ohio, by Pope Paul VI. In 1968, the pope appointed him bishop and archbishop of St. Louis. He was named to the College of Cardinals a year later.Pub Date: 6/19/98

The Holocaust has always occupied some corner in newspaper articles, magazine stories and ads. Lately, a great deal of material on the subject has been devoted to Pope Pius XII, and it has included a bashing of the Vatican's so-called "silence" during the Holocaust.I find it difficult to understand the criticism and false statements of "experts," who probably have not read the 11 volumes of Vatican documents printed between 1965 and 1981, four of which deal exclusively with the humanitarian efforts of Pope Pius XII.It is historically inaccurate to charge Pope Pius XII with "silence."

Mildred Kern, an original resident of the North Oaks Retirement Community who had worked overseas for the United Nations, died of heart disease Sunday at her home. She was six days short of turning 105. "She was our oldest resident, and she was our very first resident," said Mark E. Pressman, the retirement community's executive director. "She and her sister actually moved in before the building was finished. She showed the first apartments at times and was actively interested in our growth.

Jews have been too focused on the silence of Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust, to the point that it is hindering the advance of Jewish-Catholic relations, a leader of the Conservative Jewish movement told a gathering of rabbis meeting in Baltimore yesterday."

Relations between Roman Catholics and Jews -- a difficult and often ugly history of 2,000 years that began to heal after the Second Vatican Council -- got a boost in Baltimore last night from prominent priests and rabbis even as lingering conflicts were acknowledged.The modern relationship, based on a 1965 Vatican edict repudiating the belief that Jews are collectively guilty for killing Jesus of Nazareth, was affirmed last night at St. Mary's Seminary as "one of the greatest revolutions in human history."

Charles W. Bands, a retired chiropractor, died of leukemia Saturday at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The long-time Rosedale resident was 73.A mass of Christian burial for Mr. Bands will be offered at 10 a.m. tomorrow at St. Clement's Roman Catholic Church, 1220 Chesaco Ave. in Rosedale.Born in Ambridge, Pa., Mr. Bands came to Baltimore in the 1930s to work for Bethlehem Steel. During World War II, he served with the U.S. Army's 36th artillery division and earned the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

The Vatican recently expanded access to its archives up to 1939, and it is expected to open its archives from World War II within five years. Many scholars believe documents in the archives may help clarify questions about the Vatican's conduct during the Nazi period, including the Holocaust. Although the opening of the archives is an important development, evidence already in the public record shows that - contrary to the beliefs of many - both Pope Pius XI (1922-1939) and Pope Pius XII (1939-1958)

It was a riveting sight. An old man, back bent by the weight of years, shuffling toward the ancient wall of stone blocks. With a trembling hand, he slipped a card into a crevice. He stepped back for a long moment, absorbed in prayer -- entirely alone, except for the world that was watching. Pope John Paul II's simple gesture at Jerusalem's Western Wall last March signified how far his Roman Catholic Church has come in its efforts to achieve reconciliation with Judaism. Those efforts have not stilled the voices of moral outrage.

For 60 years, debate has raged about who or what might have deterred Adolf Hitler's rise to power and his Holocaust. Among world leaders during Hitler's era, few if any have ignited more intense controversy than Pope Pius XII. Before his ascension, he was known as Eugenio Pacelli, serving as a Vatican diplomat during the 1920s and 1930s. He was elevated to the papacy in 1939 and died in 1958, in the 59th year of his priesthood and his 82nd year on Earth.He is now within short reach -- perhaps a year -- of being declared a saint.

Jews have been too focused on the silence of Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust, to the point that it is hindering the advance of Jewish-Catholic relations, a leader of the Conservative Jewish movement told a gathering of rabbis meeting in Baltimore yesterday."

Relations between Roman Catholics and Jews -- a difficult and often ugly history of 2,000 years that began to heal after the Second Vatican Council -- got a boost in Baltimore last night from prominent priests and rabbis even as lingering conflicts were acknowledged.The modern relationship, based on a 1965 Vatican edict repudiating the belief that Jews are collectively guilty for killing Jesus of Nazareth, was affirmed last night at St. Mary's Seminary as "one of the greatest revolutions in human history."

Cardinal John Joseph Carberry, 93, retired archbishop of St. Louis, died there Wednesday.He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1929. In 1956, he was named bishop of Lafayette, Ind., by Pope Pius XII, and in 1965 was appointed Bishop of Columbus, Ohio, by Pope Paul VI. In 1968, the pope appointed him bishop and archbishop of St. Louis. He was named to the College of Cardinals a year later.Pub Date: 6/19/98

The Vatican recently expanded access to its archives up to 1939, and it is expected to open its archives from World War II within five years. Many scholars believe documents in the archives may help clarify questions about the Vatican's conduct during the Nazi period, including the Holocaust. Although the opening of the archives is an important development, evidence already in the public record shows that - contrary to the beliefs of many - both Pope Pius XI (1922-1939) and Pope Pius XII (1939-1958)

Sins between man and man will never be forgiven until the on who has committed the wrong gives the victim what he owes and appeases him If a person wronged another and the latter died before he could ask for forgiveness, he should take 10 people and say the following while they are standing before that person's grave. 'I have sinned against God the Lord of Israel and against this person by doing the following to himRabbi Moshe ben Maimon, "Laws of Repentance"MORE than 50 years after the most horrendous act of man's inhumanity to Jews, Vatican officials recently released a statement that they claimed to be an act of repentance.

Sins between man and man will never be forgiven until the on who has committed the wrong gives the victim what he owes and appeases him If a person wronged another and the latter died before he could ask for forgiveness, he should take 10 people and say the following while they are standing before that person's grave. 'I have sinned against God the Lord of Israel and against this person by doing the following to himRabbi Moshe ben Maimon, "Laws of Repentance"MORE than 50 years after the most horrendous act of man's inhumanity to Jews, Vatican officials recently released a statement that they claimed to be an act of repentance.

GIVEN that the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church are not famous for public self- criticism, the recent Vatican statement of repentance for the spiritual failure of its members in the face of the Holocaust is an astonishment for which humane people can only be grateful.Given that the Holocaust was such an unspeakable horror, it is not surprising that some Jewish leaders have found it wanting. But considering the terrors of half a century ago, almost anything said or done today would be too little and too late.