The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, participated in a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. The dialogue revolved around the documents of the Vatican archives of the pontificate of Pius XII and their significance for relations between Jews and Christians.
CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
Vatican Secretary of State
Recent discoveries in the Vatican's and other archives have made it easier for us to understand how the historical records were manipulated in the post-war era, resulting in little or no mention of Catholics in the resistance movements. Thanks to the recent opening of the archives, it has become more evident that Pope Pius XII followed both the path of diplomacy and that of undercover resistance.
The pontificate of Pius XII was marked by conflict in Europe during World War II. Many accused him of not directly condemning the Nazis for their persecution of the Jews.
With Pope Francis' decision to open the Vatican archives from those years, some questions are beginning to be clarified through previously unpublished documents that have never been seen before.
However, the Vatican Secretary of State pointed out that this is not an imminent process, but it will take years for society to come to understand the actions of Pope Pius XII in favor of the Jews.
CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
Vatican Secretary of State
It will take more than a generation of historians to build up a consistency through the variety of the archival sources on Pope Pacelli. As a result, reflection and judgements will mature with time, allowing them to move beyond the narrow world of decontextualized subjective interpretations that lacks the support of historical sources and foundations.
Parolin explained that the number and richness of the documents that have been found from the pontificate of Pius XII are significantly superior to the archives of his predecessors. He hopes that these will help the understanding of the Vatican in historical moments, such as the one faced by Pope Pius XII.
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TR: AT
