Pope Francis has denounced what he calls the “great powers” of the world for failing to act when there was intelligence indicating Jews, Christians, homosexuals and others were being transported to death camps in Europe during World War II.
He also decried “how many Christians suffered” and died in gulags later in Russia under the Stalin dictatorship.
The pope’s harsh assessments came in impromptu remarks during his visit to Turin, northern Italy, when he told young people he understands how they find it hard to trust the world.
Francis said: “The great powers, they divided Europe like a cake” in the 1930s and 1940s and lamented that in today’s world “everything is done for money.”
He also lamented the hypocrisy of those advocating peace while also manufacturing or selling arms.
(AP)
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12 Responses
This pope is really backwards. I guess he forgot how the Vatican was on the side of yemach sh’mo?
How convenient, just like the rest of their bubeh maysa teachings.
Of course, he had nothing to say about what the Vatican knew during the Holocaust, and what they did or did not do to help Jews. Or how they assisted many notorious war criminals escape justice after the war, including Adolf Eichmann, issuing him and others Vatican passports.
In general, if someone is bunching all the persecuted groups together, you can be sure it’s not a serious act of contrition or attempt at “repentance” of any kind (if that’s even possible!). The reason is that although many others besides the Jews were oppressed, detained, deported and murdered, only the Jews were systematically hunted down in a methodical manner and exterminated with industrial efficiency. R”L. So, I wish the pope would spare us his crocodile tears.
and the church did something???
if the church would have put pressure on the world powers perhaps things would be different
they are all guilty
I hope he’s including the Vatican in that condemnation
This is being disrespectful to the position which he holds
Weren’t the Nazis hristian?
When the Nazis told the Pope at the time that they were deporting Czechoslovakian Jews and were separating the family members on the trains, the Pope answered not to separate the family members.
OK? Enough said.
These are things religious leaders should be talking about not cellphones and whatsapp
1. The British and the Americans could have granted asylum. They refused in spite of having accurate knowledge of the holocaust (from their “Ultra” intercepts of the German communications
2. The Catholic Church could have directed Catholics to refuse to cooperate with the Nazis (though this might have requried the Pope to flee – though perhaps not). Church opposition to the holocaust would have had the most impact in France (where the government obtained the Pope’s blessing before shipping Jews to concentration camps), Italy and Hungary (whose leaders were not supportive of deportations in spite of being allied with Germany), and in Poland.
3. The Russians did grant asylum to any Jews who reached their lines.
4. The Japanese did grant asylum to any Jews who reached their lines, in spite of their German allies demands that they no do so.
So what other powers are you talking about?
#6: The Nazis might have been Christians but not Catholic.
To the credit of the Church, Churches did take in many Jewish children during the war especially in Poland and Hungary. BUT (a big BUT) they did not return them after the war. They told them stories like, ‘their parents gave them up and didn’t want them’, instead of saying that they died. Or telling them that their parents wanted them to be Christian therefore they brought them to the church. etc….
I don’t know how many readers here have been following the story of Pope Francis. But in short, he is a breath of fresh air in the Vatican. He has eschewed much of the pomp and luxury of the papacy and promotes the rights and lives of the poor. Even taking on the name Francis is in seeing himself in the mold of Francis of Assisi.
Don’t just attack him, he has said more to criticise the non-action of the world in those times than any previous Pope. And I’m sure that due to protocol he can’t just say anything about his own predecessors.
DikDukDuck, The Nazis ym”sh were NOT christian at all as a movement. Some of the higher-ups may have been, but many were anti religion as a movement with any power.
They harassed the catholic church and others.