But the Jesuit historian member of the Jewish-Catholic commission, holds that the Anglo-Saxon world is culturally influenced
Rome (Italy), November 1st (VID) - "There is no news" it is thus that the Jesuit Gerald Fogarty, a historian, who teaches at the University of Virginia, summed up to "Vidimus Dominum" the conclusions of the mixed Jewish-Catholic commission which examined the Vatican archives concerning the role of the Holy See and Pope Pius XII in the Second World War. The Commission delivered it report last week. Father Fogarty is the sole religious of the three Catholics making up the group, which was also composed of three exponents of the Jewish world.
"A general consensus was reached among the Jewish members of the Commission who verified how complex the affaire is". "It was important to work together - explains Father Fogarty - but we did not manage to overcome the strong cultural influences". Among these influences , Father Fogarty, is the widespread opinion in the Anglo-Saxon world that there are still unpublished documents in the Vatican archives. In realty, the religious thinks that this is not so, because otherwise "there would be proof, they would have emerged during the studies that I have undertaken in the archives throughout all of Europe".
Another aspect concerns the need to keep the entire conflict in mind, because Pius XII was favorable to the USA, but not to the Allies, in as much as for example, Great Britain carried indiscriminate arrests among the missionaries in North Africa.
And furthermore, points out Father Fogarty, "in the spring of 1940 there was an attempt to overthrow Hitler by a group of generals, who then intended to surrender to the English. The negotiations took place with Vatican mediation, of which Pius XII was conscious. But in the Vatican there are no documents concerning this matter, and the group of my Jewish and Catholic colleagues consequently began to understand that the opening of the Vatican archives does not answer these questions once and for all".
The conclusive 20-page document, was delivered to Cardinal Cassidy, who will ensure it arrives at the Secretary of State's. "Several months will be required for an answer" and to decide if and how the work will proceed
Vidimus Dominum
1. november 2000