As I approach the end of the third quadrant of my "Boomerhood", I find myself seeking to impose order and structure on many of the important historical moments that crossed my path. Frequently, I inquire of myself and others: "Where were you when...(1) Kennedy was shot, (2) Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, etc. The headlines in last weekend's paper brought my journey to a forgotten niche. I was 15 years old in 1962 when Pope John XXIII forgave me and mine for deicide. Initially, I was overjoyed with his ecumenism and devotion to modernism. However, I do remember wishing that John XXIII had spoken more directly to some of my Irish and Italian friends. This kindly Pope was going to finally put an end to anti-Semitism.(Pope John XXIII- http://www.leader-values.com/leader%20va... )
Unfortunately, the habits of two thousand years were not easily forgotten. Two thousand years of being portrayed as "Fagan-like", perfidious parasites who had killed God's only son. It was almost considered a holy order to abuse Jews. When John passed and Paul VI became Pope it seemed that anti-Semitism was still deeply ingrained in our culture. As I matured and saw my friends shorten both their names and noses my appreciation of John XXIII began to fade. As I studied his encyclical, it became apparent that it did not constitute a complete break with the past, but rather, it was the classic compromise born of a rigid bureaucracy's resistance to change. Pope John XXIII stated that he did not believe the Jews were capable of such deicide and they should not be called the perfidious Jews in the Easter Passion Play. (The Encyclicals of John XXIII-
http://listserv.american.edu/catholic/ch... )
This past Sunday (March 12) I suffered an episode of déjà vu all over again. (Y. Lawrence Berra) John Paul II's Millennial Ablution seemed to be a sincere apology to all victims of his Church's mistakes and an appropriate way to start a new century. Yet, further examination of his speech did not include any reference to Pius XII and his fast track to sainthood. Pope John Paul II must deny the glory of sainthood to Pius XII. Pope Pius is a complex and controversial figure in the history of the Papacy. He served at one of the most ethically challenging times. (1939-56) His stewardship included the responsibility for formulating church policy in regard to the Holocaust. It would be quite easy to turn this essay into a treatise and barely scratch the surface of the questions that need to be answered about this complex man serving in the worst of times. Was he an anti-Semite? Did his staunch anti-Communism override all other sentiments? Did he pray for Hitler's victory in the war? Did he covertly save thousands of Jews from the Gas Chambers? (
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