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Vatican, authoritarianism and antisemitism (XXI)

Lectures: 241

Despite Pius XII’s reaffirmation of anti-Semitism, the profound effect of the Holocaust generated growing dissatisfaction with it on the part of growing sections of Catholics. To the already mentioned positions of Jacques Maritain and Gertrud Luckner’s Freiburg group, important personalities such as Cardinals Jules Saliege (French) and Johannes Willebrand (Dutch); the Jesuit priests (and much later cardinals) Augustín Bea (German) and Jean Danielou (French); and the French priests Yves Congar and Paul Démann and the Italian-German Romano Guardini, among many others.

In the case of France, Cardinal Saliege and the priest Démann, inspired by the book Jesus and Israel of Jules Isaac, came to “change the French catechesis on the Jews, so that a positive image of them emerged” (Michal Phayer.- The Catholic Church and the Holocaust 1930-1965; Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 2000; p. 198). In Germany, Luckner’s group, in addition to efforts at theological and pastoral change, focused on a struggle to get the state to agree to provide material reparations to Jewish Holocaust victims and family members. Previously – largely thanks to his lobbying – it was possible for the German Church in its annual meetings of bishops between 1948 and 1950 to approve the idea that “restitution and (material) compensation constituted a moral obligation on the part of individuals and of the country” (Ibid.; p. 194).; although this topic was left aside later.

On the other hand, in the 50s, the Freiburg group, together with other associations, was obtaining success in putting pressure on the State authorities in the matter. Thus, they managed to get the Prime Minister (chancellor), Konrad Adenauer, to say publicly that “horrible crimes were committed in the name of the German people, crimes that force us to make moral and material restitution” (Ibid.). Furthermore, in 1955, when the federal government failed to pass a compensation law, the Society for Jewish Christian Collaboration urged Adenauer to get “a law commensurate with the debt of conscience of the German people” passed. (Ibid.). And he got Justice Minister H. Wilden to remind Germans that “compensation for state injustices is a fundamental moral obligation” (Ibid.).

Finally in 1957 –through a German-Israeli agreement- an agreement was reached that assigned $7.5 million to former slave workers (of Nazism) who now resided in forty-two countries of the world” (Ibid.; 197 ). In this, in addition to the Freiburg group, the steps in this regard made by the United States and by Nahum Goldman, president of the World Jewish Congress also had an important influence” (see ibid).

In turn, Gertrud Luckner and her circle were gradually influencing the German episcopate to become aware of the great debts that Germany had in this regard; and of the need for profound theological and pastoral changes that would put an end to Catholic anti-Semitism. Particularly close to Luckner were Julius Döpfner, who was named the world’s youngest bishop (35 years old) in 1948 (of Wurzburg) and who, in turn, would also become the youngest cardinal when he was appointed as such by John XXIII. in 1958; and the Bishop of Augsburg, Joseph Stimpfle (see ibid.; p. 199). These changes -as we will see- would bear fruit under the new pontificate of John XXIII. In the mid-50s, Luckner even gained the support of two very influential Vatican personalities: The German Jesuits –and confessors of Pius XII!- Augustin Bea and Robert Leiber (see ibid.).

On the other hand, initiatives to reduce Vatican anti-Semitism also emerged from Judaism. Thus, commissioned by the World Jewish Congress, the Israeli Joe Golan contacted Cardinal Eugene Tisserant and the Jesuit General Juan Bautista Janssens in February 1957; who recommended talking to Bea and Leiber!, establishing a permanent dialogue with Bea. As a result of this, Pius XII at least before dying included the improvement of relations between Catholics and Jews as a “matter to be resolved” (Jean Lacouture.- Jesuits II. The continuators; Paidos, Barcelona, ​​1994; p.s. 580).

By the way, the election of Angelo Roncalli as John XXIII, at the end of 1958, would bring an excellent opportunity to advance notably on this path. Roncalli had always considered that the evangelical message gave priority to love over faith, which translated into a fully ecumenical perspective. Thus, already in 1927, in a letter to the lay teacher educator, Adelaida Coari, he said: “I am very happy that you are interested in the union of the Churches and delighted that you appreciate the spirit of charity of the magazine Belgian Irenikon. We agree on that. As for knowing how to deal with the Orthodox (Christians separated from the East), Catholics have a lot to learn (…) A month ago I had an interesting meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch, Basil III, the successor of Photius and Michael Cerularius. How times have changed! But the Catholics are bound by charity to hasten the day of the return of the religious brothers to unity in a single fold. He follows me? through the charity. More than for theological debates. Through the charity praised by Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, 4” (Peter Hebblethwaite.- Pope John XXIII. Sheperd of the Modern World; Doubleday & Company, New York, 1985; p. 123).

And already in the Easter celebrations of 1959, his rejection of anti-Semitism was demonstrated by ending the atavistic and hateful liturgical prayer for the conversion of the “perfidious Jews”, whose text said: “Let us also pray for the perfidious Jews. God, you do not exclude even the infidel Jews from your mercy. Listen to the prayers that we present to you because of the blindness of such a people”. He replaced it with the following: “Let us also pray for the Jews, to whom God spoke in the first place. May He keep you by fidelity to his covenant and for the love of his Name, so that you can reach the goal to which his will wishes to lead you ”(Thomas Cahill.- John XXIII; Mondadori, Barcelona, ​​2003; pp. 246-7).

Likewise, Pope John elaborated a prayer in which forgiveness is requested for the atrocities carried out by Christians against the Jews: “Forgive us for the slander that we falsely launched against them. Forgive us for crucifying you again in his flesh. Because we didn’t know what we were doing” (John Cornwell.- Hitler’s Pope. The true story of Pius XII; Planet, Barcelona, ​​2005; p. 416).

And in the context of the convocation of a new ecumenical council made by John XXIII, and of the negotiations that Joe Golan had had with Augustin Bea since 1957; the historian Jules Isaac repeated what he had done unsuccessfully in 1949 with Pius XII: speak with the new Pope on June 13, 1960. There Isaac asked him to establish, in the perspective of the council, a body in charge of reducing hostile prejudices to the Jews. The Pope, with great good will, asked him to meet with the then Cardinal Bea with a view to the creation of “a permanent secretariat to which would be entrusted the mission of cleaning up relations between Christians and Jews. The Bea-Isaac interviews led, on December 18, 1960, to the decision to prepare a conciliar statement in favor of the Jews: the Jesuit cardinal was officially in charge of writing it” (Lacouture; p. 581).

However, the obstacles to achieving an effective breakthrough were immense. To start with, in the spirit of collecting the opinions of all the bishops of the world, the Vatican sent them a questionnaire in 1959 so that they could express their opinions on a multitude of topics, including the relationship with the Jews. Notably, in the innumerable responses received from the five continents, there was only one referring to relations with the Jews, from a Latin American bishop, which could not have been more disappointing! It began with a “condemnation of all persecution against Jews for religious or ethnic reasons”, but added that the Council must not forget “the facts of the past and the clear affirmations of international Judaism. For centuries the heads of Judaism have methodically conspired with a relentless hatred against the name of Catholic and are preparing the destruction of the Catholic order and the construction of a world imperialist Judaism. Should we hate? No! But vigilance, charity, systematic combat against the systematic combat of this ‘Enemy of Man’ whose secret weapon is the ferment of the Pharisees, that is, hypocrisy” (Ibid.; p. 582)…

It is true that in 1960 John XXIII was encouraged with responses from Catholic universities and religious research institutes. In particular, the Biblical Institute of Rome gave “reasons to reject the notions of ‘curse’, of ‘reprobation’ or of ‘collective responsibility’ of the Jews in the death of Jesus, and the idea of ​​a divine punishment that would be the consequence of it” (Ibid.). And along the same lines, several priests and lay people who met in Apeldoorn (Netherlands) in August addressed “their conclusions to Rome, imitated by the Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies of South Orange (United States)” (Ibid.; pp. 582-3).

By Felipe Portales

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