An open question: the Vatican 【梵蒂冈】and the holocaust

holocaust 纳粹大屠杀

From today historians, and in due course the public, will be able to read Pope Pius XII’s【庇护十二世教皇】 archives from the second world war and make up their own mind over his stance towards Hitler and the holocaust.

Critics have asserted that he knew about the mass slaughter【屠杀】 of Jews and should have denounced it openly.

Defenders of Pius, including Sir Martin Gilbert of Oxford University, who was Jewish, have insisted that he worked hard behind the scenes to protect and shelter Jews.

Open denunciation【公开谴责】, they argue, would have been counterproductive【事与愿违；产生相反效果；适得其反】.

Pius has been honored by the church, receiving the status of “venerable” in 2009, in a process that could lead to his canonization.

venerable （因年高、显要、智慧等）令人尊重的
canonization 追封为圣者

Critics of the Holy See say it should not have started this procedure until his full war-time archives were opened.

the Holy See 宗座（指教皇的职位或权力）；罗马教廷（设在梵蒂冈）

Last year, when announcing the decision to do this, Pope Francis said the church, “is not afraid of history, but rather, she loves it and would like to love it more”.

Mar 2nd 2020