Language:
English
Year of publication:
2005
Titel der Quelle:
Studies in Contemporary Jewry
Angaben zur Quelle:
21 (2005) 3-11
Keywords:
Maritain, Jacques,
;
Pius
;
Holocaust (Christian theology)
Abstract:
Discusses a letter written in July 1946 by the Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain, the then French ambassador to the Holy See, to his friend Giovanni Montini (the future Pope Paul VI). The letter, intended for Pope Pius XII, provides a new perspective on the Pope's failure to speak out in defense of the Jews during the Holocaust. Maritain hoped that the Pope would condemn antisemitism both in the wake of the Holocaust and in the face of continuing antisemitism, including in Catholic Poland (e.g. the Kielce pogrom). The Pope's response, which included supersessionist remarks and a refusal to become involved in "politics", revealed a disappointing (to Maritain, as well as to many Jews) unwillingness to take a moral stand. While no conclusive explanation is available for the Pope's continued silence, one conclusion seems to be clear: he was consistent both during and after the war.
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