(Continued from Page 1) `Vatican Passport' of Eichmann Pope extends to everybody, re- is pure fantasy. Brazil, for in- gardless of nationality, race or stance, placed at the disposal religion, his fatherly solicitude. of the Pope several thousand One might raise objections to passports for Catholic Jews, the style of this message, since which therefore were given to only a restricted number of Catholic Jews only. But gen- persons might detect a special erally speaking help was given allusion to the Jewish problem. to those in need, regardless of However, let us allow the facts their religious confession." to speak for themselves." Father Leiber then recalls After recalling the request that when the Jewish rescue by the Gestapo of 50 kilos of organization in Genoa, DELA- gold from the Jewish commun- SEM, was forced to close, all ity of Rome, the article con- its funds • were turned over firms that Pius XII offered spon- to the Archbishop of Genoa, taneously to supply the amount and then shipped to Rome of gold that could not be raised where they were distribute by the Jews. However, the ar- to needy Jews. Father Leiber ticle adds that the additional says that whenever Jewish gold was not needed, for the funds were not available, the Jews managed to collect it all Catholic institutions took care of the refugees' needs, with among themselves. The mass deportation of 1,12'7 funds sent to the Vatican by Jews on Oct. 16,, 1943, is . des- the U.S.A. Catholic Refugee cribed in the article. However, Committee. "The total sum where did the other Jews of which the Pope spent for the the town seek refuge? Father' Jews up to 1945, according to Leiber writes that, by the hun- a reliable estimate, is at least dreds, the Jews sought refuge $400,000." The article recalls the work in the convents and religious institutions of the town. Pius performed by the Vatican In- XII had let it be known that formation Office: "In the German section a special the religious institutions could department for Jews was established, and should give refuge to the because of the many requests coming from Palestine, Hungary, Rumania, Jews. In all, nuns' convents Australia, etc., asking for informa- harbored 2,775 Jews and other tion on Jews still in Germany, Be- tween 1941 and 1945, 102,026 such religious orders and parishes, requests were received and the Vat- 992 for several months. One ican could solve 36,877 of such cases. "After having mentioned these must also add the hospitality facts, the letter of the German Am- given to 680 others in religious bassador takes a different aspect. he painfully resented the institutions and those hidden Personally, actions of the Gestapo against the in the Lateran and in the Vat- Jews. If in his report he reduces •unilaterally the decision of the Pope ican. It is hard to of to protest publicly and thus pre- re nts the silence of the Pope as a number beca of the Berlin Government, y ever mention- ccess illegally e must recall that he was speaking , an ambassador and the ed t of the s article then recsll1 that e eight was finding elf. "Actually, • Pius MI acted Ca olic insti a 'much br er outl u I I nly, refl. elf 2, during th entire ction sp m nounce to to Alr of olland; Bel itu- vasion Je we 1, embourg the G • troops. ather erwise h followed the rule of of t. ti predecess Benedict XV ong its World Wa Lei • to protes with- orts, but not against injus tasks out taking a stand on specific issues, Vatican passports. The Vatican in order to avoid greater evils. has never granted any passports "A public word by Plus against the persecution of the Jews, when for emigration. The so-called it occurred under his eyes and in JULES DONESON Recommends VACATIONS Japan! Hong Kong! The Philip- pines! For a magic vacation thrill, visit the exotic East. Guided tours; individual itineraries. Come in or phone for free literature. spe ?s „MEMBER ' AVEL JULES DONESON TRAVEL AGENCY 18246 Wyoming Ave. DI 1-7111 Closed Saturday Open Sunday front of the Vatican windows, would certainly have had strong repercus- sions then and later, even if there are • some who are doubtful about this. But the Pope had clearly in mind the consequences it would have had on the Jews, the Church and the Catholics in Rome and in the entire territory occupied by Hitler's power. Dr. Safran, Chief Rabbi of Romania, in an interview' after the war, underlined the help given dur- ing two war years by the Apostolic Nuncio. His mediation was decisive for the life of the Jews, since he obtained a halt to deportations. We can say that probably such attempts to avoid worse for the Jews would have been useless, if there had been a papal protest. "Also in Rome, there was always the danger of the • Gestapo finding hidden Jews. Twice the Gestapo en- tered Catholic institutions—once in St. Paul outside the Walls and once in the Oriental Institute. For St. Paul the Holy See could protest officially as St. Paul was an extra-territorial zone. In the Oriental Institute, the SS searched, in the spring of 1944, for the whole night and only found two out of 13 Jews who were hidden there. As far as the persecution of Jews was concerned, the fundamental principle of Pope Pius was: to save human lives. "The silence of Pius XII concerning the persecution against Jews has been reproachedup to our present time. We shall Mention chiefly two con- tained in the same work: the one of the Catholic, F. Mauriac and of the Jew, L. Poliakow." After quoting Mauriac's preface • to Poliakow's "Breviaire De La Haine," Father Leiber comments: "These words manifest a noble feeling toward persecuted Jews, but Mauriac's conclusions are not con- sequent. if it was the task of the Pope and of the bishops to be silent, to avoid worse, then they had to ful- fill this duty, also if unwilling. There- fore on their silence the shadow of the sins committed by others should not fall . . To commit a crime or to be silent before a crime are two different things. The silence before a crime can be a heavy duty, but in certain circumstances. it can avoid greater evils; it might not appear as heroic from the outside, but it might be the only right thing before God and the _conscience. We have mentioned the motives which might have determined Pius XH's decision not to make a public protest against the Jewish persecutions. • "Poliakow fairly admits that in front of Hitler's terror the Churches were active in their immediate hu- manitarian actions, with the approval and the encouragement of the Vat- ican. However, Poliakow states that it is painful to underline the fact that throughout the war (while the facto- ries of death were incessantly work- ing, the Pope kept silent and did not pronounce that solemn condemnation which was ardently awaited by the persecuted, although acknowledging the fact that it is hard to evaluate what the consequences would have Bnai . Brith president Label A. Katz of New Orleans was elected chairman of the organization's International Council. The Council's executive com- mittee, acting on the resignation of Philip M. Klutznick as chair- man, unanimously selected Katz at its sessions in Washington. been, for the Jews and for the Church, had such a condemnation been pronounced." The article, which can be considered the firmest and most authoritative Catholic evaluation and defense of Pius' attitude t ow a r d the Jews, concludes by citing sev- eral examples of gratitude shown by many Jews for what the Pope had done. One of the exam con- vers ome's Chie I Zolli, who, then, whe ptized, ok the name the Pope example to the by Go a Meir in nked him for wised hi of the Jews. "It has been stated," con- cludes Father Leiber, "that on the issue of the Jews, Pius XI would perhaps have taken a firmer stand than his succes- sor Pius XII, quoting the en- cyclical 'Mit Brennender Sorge' as an example. For this ency- clical Pius XII, then Secretary of State, was just as responsible as Pius XI. "We can admit that it was as difficult to dissuade Pope Pius XI from taking a public stand on burning issues, just as to persuade Pius XII to take one. Possibly, for this very reason, the Divine Providence entrusted the leadership of the Church during the war years to Pius XII and not to Pius XI." Klutznick is now U.S. repre- sentative to the UN Economic and Social" Council. The Council, composed of rep- representatives from North America, Latin America, Great Britain, , Continental Europe and Israel, directs Bnai Brith's inter- national activities. TIME FOR A CHECK-UP! it's FREE Let's say your watch isn't keeping time too well lately-- that it's starting to look a little "beat up," (although , you're not ready to buy a new one yet). We will check it over without charge . . . tell you whether or not it needs Cleaning, replacement of any worn parts, or give you the reassurance that everything's fine. You can have Confidence in our professional watchmaker's analysis. 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SAVE "THE AMERICAN WAY" A MERICAN I SAVINGS LIVERNOIS AT W. 7 MILE DEXTER AT CORTLAND W. 9 MILE near COOLIDGE MAIN OFFICE: Woodward at Congress Telegraph at Schoolcraft Van Dyke at E. 7 Mile 'Fort Street at Military 14 Mile near Crooks Rd. in Clawson Telegraph at Maple in Bloomfield 3 -- THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS — Friday, March 10, 1961 Katz Heads Bnai Brith International Council `Firmest Catholic Evaluation' Made of Pius' Stand on Jews Under Nazis