Pius XII

POPE PETITIONED TO BEATIFY PIUS XII

November 8, 2007

Two national Catholic organizations, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, are working in a joint effort to petition Pope Benedict XVI to expedite the cause for the beatification of Pope Pius XII.

It is our strongly held conviction that Pope Pius XII has been unfairly portrayed as someone who stood silent during the Holocaust. Indeed, we know of no world leader who did more to resist the Nazis and rescue Jews than this great man. To depict him otherwise is to slander him, and this is not something Catholics will ever accept.

Petition to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

for the Beatification of Pope Pius XII

With profound respect and sincere devotion, We, the undersigned, humbly request that the cause for the beatification of Pope Pius XII proceed without delay. Pius XII’s virtuous life speaks for itself and is supported by an abundance of incontestable documentary evidence. The truth regarding his service to the Church and the World, as a diplomat and during his pontificate, prior to and through the World War II period, is also historically established. He has been the victim of an unjust smear campaign for fifty years. Now, however, overwhelming evidence has been amassed that proves beyond doubt that he labored without pause for peace, that he sought to assist in every way possible the victims of war, especially Jews, hundreds of thousands of whom were spared through his efforts, and that he constantly warned the world of the horrors of Nazism and Communism. We urge that you honor this holy and brave Pontiff at the soonest possible date