Saturday, February 20, 2010

Jesuit Writes A Letter To The Holy Father

16 February 2010

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, Apostolic Palace, 00120 Vatican City

Your Holiness,

As faithful, practicing Catholics, consecrated and lay, we urgently write to you concerning the cause of Pope Pius XII. We are educators who have conducted research and are currently carrying into effect more research on Catholicism under National Socialism and the Holocaust. The movement to press forward at this time the process of beatification of Pius XII greatly troubles us. Needless to say, the controversy over Pius XII’s actions during the Second World War and the Holocaust is long-standing.

Read the rest of the letter (here) and see the other co-signers.

Rev. Dr. James Bernauer, S.J.,
Kraft professor of philosophy,
Boston College, director,
Center for Christian-Jewish Learning

2 comments:

Perplexed said...

I'm perplexed about how it's possible to influence a canonization.

For example, how does the pope decide which letters to read? Would he read one from me? How does one get one's letter read? Or what credentials must one have to get a letter read by the pope?

Secondly, if the pope is selective about whom he reads, then what does that say about (a) who gets canonized,(b) who is in effect canonizing and (c) what is really meant by sanctity other than that 2 miracles were believed to have happened as a result of the saint.

Anonymous said...

Bad jesuits.