Vatican City, Oct 20, 2008 / 08:01 am
The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Father Federico Lombardi S.J., confirmed on Sunday that Pope Benedict XVI is considering signing the decree of heroic virtues for Pope Pius XII, and asked that no one try to exert pressure "one way or the other."
Fr. Lombardi’s words come after some Jewish organizations launched a campaign against the beatification of Pope Pius XII, arguing that it would negatively impact relations between Judaism and the Church. The argument is based on the "black legend," which attempts to paint him as an "accomplice" to the wholesale slaughter of Jews by the Nazis during World War II.