The documentary, which premieres Nov. 23, opens with quotes from editorials written in the 1950s in both the New York Times and the Jewish Post that would bolster that claim.
Interview clips include world-renowned Jewish historian Sir Martin Gilbert; Fr. Peter Gumpel, the postulator for the canonization for Pope Pius XII; Ronald Rychlak, an American lawyer, jurist, author and political commentator well known for his books on Pius XII and the war; two Jewish rabbis and a religious sister. These defenders of Pope Pius XII provide interesting insight into the period and the records that affirm the pope as someone who did what he could.
“Our film shows that Pius XII was always a bitter enemy of Hitler and the Third Reich,” Naglieri said. “His efforts to assist Jews included hiding refugees in monasteries and convents, approving methods such as issuing false baptismal certificates and in many cases donating money from his own personal account to help Jews flee Europe.”
Naglieri narrows down the source of anti-Pius myths that say he failed to act in helping the Jews and was sympathetic towards the Nazis. Naglieri said myths like this need to be debunked to prevent people from having a mistakenly negative view of the Catholic Church, because if believed, the lies will weaken the moral voice of the church today.
“I hope this film will make Catholics in Canada and around the world aware of the truth about Pope Pius XII so that they will never again hesitate to defend his legacy against those who attempt to discredit both Pius XII and the Catholic Church as a whole.”
The documentary premieres on Salt + Light Television Nov. 23 at 9 p.m. and later at 1 a.m. ET.
Debunking the Pius XII myths
By Carolyn Girard, The Catholic Register
{mosimage}As this year marks the 50th anniversary of Pope Pius XII’s death, the release of A Hand of Peace: Pope Pius XII & The Holocaust is timely for yet another reason. With accusations, past and present, that the late pope did nothing to help Jews during the Holocaust, Salt + Light Television’s documentary dispels the rumours and provides historical accounts of the real story behind Pius’ actions.
“Working on this project the past two years has been an eye-opening experience,” said David Naglieri, the film’s writer and producer. “I came to understand that the black legend surrounding Pope Pius XII is, in fact, founded upon distortion and lies and that Pius XII was directly responsible for saving tens of thousands of Jews.”
“Working on this project the past two years has been an eye-opening experience,” said David Naglieri, the film’s writer and producer. “I came to understand that the black legend surrounding Pope Pius XII is, in fact, founded upon distortion and lies and that Pius XII was directly responsible for saving tens of thousands of Jews.”
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