The Catholic church did not help the Jewish people during the Holocaust - Essay Example

It has been estimated that during the Holocaust approximately nine million Jews occupied Europe but almost two thirds lost their lives through Holocaust. Pope Pius XII was the catholic Pope during the time of the Holocaust1. Various controversies surrounded the position of the Pope in advocating against the Holocaust. The Pope took a more neutral position; he only made statements that condemned the injustices done against humanity, without coming boldly to condemn the Nazis for the massacre. The Pope failed in his authority and demonstrated that the Catholic Church had no firm position on the Holocaust.

The Catholic Church’s main representative to the modern age is the Pope, During the Holocaust; Pope Pius XII was besieged to help the Jews to no avail. The Jews were constantly killed throughout every collaborating country in Europe. The Pope has continued to hold a supreme authority and was seen to influence political situations. Around 1941, the Cardinal of Vienna, Cardinal Theodor Innitzer took time to speak with the Pope on the issue of Jews that were deported from Spain to Germany where they were killed.

In addition, there was pressure from a delegation from the United States to have the Pope condemn the killings2. However, the Pope took a very undefined position and was not bold and vocal in condemning the attacks. The argument by the Pope was that condemnation of the atrocities would have negative implications on the catholic faithfuls in Germany. This reason made the Pope to take a more neutral position. When a Ukrainian citizen, Andrej Septyckyj wrote to the Pope pointing out to the ruthless nature of the German government, surprisingly the Pope replied with a verse from the Bible asking Andrej to bear adversity with patience3.

There were opportunities for the voice of the church leaders to be heard but the neutrality aspect made the Pope and his cardinals to remain mum. Around 1940,