FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Melanie Maron Pell, Director

AJC Washington Regional Office
202.785.5475 or pellm@ajc.org

In advance of Pope Benedict’s trip to Great Synagogue in Rome, (Jan. 17)

AJC calls on the Vatican to Open Archives of Pope Pius XII’s
Actions during Holocaust

Washington, DC – The American Jewish Committee (AJC), a preeminent voice in interfaith relations
in Washington, DC, reiterated today, in advance of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Rome’s central
synagogue, its concern regarding his push toward sainthood of Pope Pius XII, who oversaw the
Papacy at a time when Roman Jews were rounded up and became victims of the Holocaust.

Sunday’s visit to Rome’s Great Synagogue by the Pope marks the Catholic Church’s Annual Day of
Dialogue with Judaism and signals hope that he will continue the great Jewish/Catholic dialogue that
expanded under his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

In his speaking and writing, as recently as this past Christmas, Pope Benedict XVI made clear his
recognition of the horror of the Holocaust and its implications. However, his visit to the synagogue
happens just one month after he recognized the “heroic virtues” of the controversial World War II
Pope Pius XII, putting Pius XII one step closer to beatification. This decision has puzzled and angered
many Jews.

Noting that the Church’s decisions are an internal matter and that the recent action taken by Pope
Benedict relates to Pius XII’s religious life, not his historic record, AJC Washington Director Melanie
Maron Pell said:

Until the Vatican’s war-time archives are open for research, we would hope that Catholics
understand Jewish sensitivity to the elevation of Pius XII, a man whose record is inextricably linked
to one of the world’s darkest periods in human rights.

AJC is committed to building bridges, promoting human rights and supporting Israel through global
Jewish advocacy.

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