Interesting work on the origins of the condemnation of Pius XII’s "silence" or whatever you would like to call it, regarding Nazi persecution

The article, by Magister, reprints another, scholarly article with the following details:

In Spadolini’s article, the perceived origins of the accusations against pope Pacelli are clear: firstly, between 1939 and 1951, there are the two French Catholic intellectuals Mounier and Mauriac; then there is the soviet propaganda of the war years, and more generally the communist propaganda in the post-war period and during the cold war.

The debate was accentuated after the death of Pius XII and during the very different pontificate of John XXIII, and then exploded definitively during the time of Paul VI. It then became linked with the contrasting Pacelli and Roncalli pontificates, which, amongst other factors, in 1965 led to pope Montini introducing the causes for beatification for this two predecessors simultaneously:

“In this way, the wish that was expressed for both of theses by so many voices shall be fulfilled; in this way, their spiritual patrimony shall be kept safe for history; in this way, it will be ensured that these authentic and dear characters will not be reinterpreted and will only be remembered through the cult of true sanctity and thus the glory of God, for our veneration and for that of future generations”.

With the passing of time, the question of Pius XII’s silence has become increasingly complicated, because the repeated accusations against pope Pacelli have turned into a “black legend”. This has certainly not helped the new, positive relations between the Catholic Church and Judaism. In the meantime, the origins of the accusations – born in Catholic circles and promoted above all through soviet and communist propaganda and those who have a sense of nostalgia for it, and will not forgive Pius XII for his anticommunism.