This London Times article brought a “Wow” to my lips that no Microsoft OS could ever induce, no matter how many bells and whistles. It alleges that there is evidence that this whole academic fad involving the notion that Pius XII was a closet antisemite and Hitler supporter, who not only did nothing to hinder the Holocaust, but may have actually helped it, was a…wow, KGB plot.

Well, that would explain a lot. This is still a very common notion, by the way, at least it was a couple of years ago, when I was involved in these kinds of academic conversations. Even among fairly well informed people who had spent time studying the history of the Holocaust, albeit usually not a great deal of time studying the history of the Vatican during that time, or (frequently) with much familiarity with Catholicism in general.

There are still some big questions, which I wish would be discussed more commonly among the faithful, as to how the Church as a community and institution should deal with overtly evil governments, but perhaps between the opening up of the Vatican Archives and this new KGB insider info, at least that old canard will be laid finally to rest.

Tags: anti-Catholicism, Holocaust, Nazis, Pope Pius XII