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VATICAN CITY-Pope Benedict said on Thursday he hoped his Nazi-era predecessor Pius XII, who some Jews have accused of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust, can proceed on the road to Roman Catholic sainthood.In a homily at a Mass commemorating the 50th anniversary of Pius' death in 1958, Benedict defended Pius, saying he worked "secretly and silently" during World War Two to "avoid the worst and save the greatest number of Jews possible."Some Jews say Pius did not do enough to save Jews. The Vatican and his Jewish defenders say he worked behind the scenes to help because more direct intervention would have worsened the situation.Benedict said he prayed the process leading to Pius' beatification, the last step before sainthood, "can proceed happily."On Monday, the chief rabbi of Haifa, Israel, Shear-Yashuv Cohen, told Pope Benedict during a synod that Jews "cannot forgive and forget" that some major religious leaders during World War Two did not speak out against the Holocaust.Cohen separately told reporters Pius "should not be seen as a model and he should not be beatified."The papacy of Pius, who reigned from 1939 to 1958, is one of the most difficult issues in Catholic-Jewish relations.Many books have been written about it, with most defenders saying the situation would have been worse for Jews if he had spoken out forcefully, prompting retaliations by Hitler.To read more go to:
As in the days of Noah....
