The Vatican has declined to react to calls for the Pope to authorise the opening of controversial archives for the Holocaust period.

The public demand was made directly to the Pope by Abraham Lehrer, a member of the board of the Cologne synagogue, during the synagogue service celebrating last week’s historic visit by the Pope Benedict XVI.

The archives contain diplomatic correspondence and Church documents that would throw much-needed light on the how much Pius XII knew of the Nazi efforts to deport and exterminate Europe’s Jews.

In his speech at the synagogue, Lehrer said: "For us, the complete opening of the archives covering the period of WWII would be a positive sign.

"As leader of the Catholic Church, you have a special responsibility.
Your actions serve as a model for the Church.”

However, questioned by EJP on the issue, Maria Bairtolori, an official from the Vatican television station, said: "There is, for the moment, no official statement from the Vatican on the matter".

Important archives

Pope Pius XII

Two years ago, the Vatican, eager to counter charges that wartime Pope Pius XII turned a blind eye to the Holocaust, opened some parts of pre-WWII secret archives, including documents from 1922 to 1939 when Eugenio Pacelli, the man who later became Pius XII, was Vatican’s ambassador to Berlin and then the Holy See’s secretary of state.

Jewish groups strongly opposed plans set in motion by Benedict’s predecessor John Paul II to elevate Pius XII, who reigned from 1939-1958, to sainthood, accusing him of turning a deaf ear to the plight of Europe’s Jews.

Need to know

“For the last few centuries there has been questioning about the Vatican’s behavior towards Jews during WWII. Some parts of the archives have been opened to historians. If we want a good and confident relationship between Catholics and Jews, we have to know clearly what happened at the time,” Lehrer, 51, told EJP.

“We have read an article in a newspaper that a German historian who looked in part of the archives found out that Pius XII wanted to do something for the Jews. Is this true?” he added.

Asked if he expects to receive an answer from the Vatican, Lehrer said: “Hopefully they will react.”

According to Lehrer, Benedict XVI “didn’t say something really new in his speech at the synagogue.” “He took over the words of Pope John Paul II that he is sorry for the victims of the Holocaust,” he added. “I think it is quite good if he wants to continue and intensify what his predecessor started.”