Pope Pius XII guided the Catholic Church through two tumultuous decades, firmly establishing himself as a champion of peace, and the moral voice of a world torn apart by war. However, shortly after his death in 1958, his heroic legacy has been called into question by some historians who claim that his alleged silence during the Nazi holocaust allowed Hitler to carry out his Final Solution against the Jews. During the week of August 10-16th, CatholicTV will air a documentary called “A Hand of Peace: Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust” (Hand of Peace) which details Pope Pius’ reign especially during World War II.
Pope Pius XII protested vehemently the persecution of Jews. His was a prophecy in action, which saved the lives of countless victims of the neo-pagan Nazi reign of terror, rather than potentially counter-productive public statements.
“Hand of Peace” is an important contribution to the robust and timely debate that has arisen surrounding Pius’ wartime record. Featuring interviews with world renowned Holocaust historian Sir Martin Gilbert; the Jesuit historian and postulator Fr. Peter Gumpel; author and ardent Pius defender Sr. Margherita Marchione, M.P.F., Ph.D., this gripping documentary explores the difficult choices Pius XII faced during the Second World War, and provides convincing proof that his bold, yet discreet, prophetic actions saved tens of thousands of Jewish lives and paved the way for a new era of Catholic-Jewish relations that have deepened over the past 50 years.
“Hand of Peace” will air at www.CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV during the week of August 10-16th at the following times (Eastern): Monday-2PM; Tuesday-10PM; Wednesday-4PM; Thursday-6:30AM; Friday-9PM; Saturday-10:30AM; Sunday-2AM.
CatholicTV regularly airs Papal events. Details on CatholicTV Papal Programming as well as archived videos can be viewed at http://www.catholictv.com/shows/default.aspx?seriesID=57
1 comment:
Pius XII has the blood of millions on his hands. Considering the jubilant participation of the citizenry of catholic countries such as Poland (90% catholic, 3 million dead Jews), it's hard to believe that explicitly telling his followers not to commit murder would not have limited their vile behavior.
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