Rome, Italy, Jun 28, 2011 / 04:26 am
An expert on Pope Pius XII expressed support for an Israeli ambassador who faces controversy after publicly praising the World War II pontiff for helping save Jews during the Holocaust.
Israeli ambassador to the Vatican Mordechai Lewy said on June 27 that his positive comments about late Pope were historically “premature,” after he was criticized by Jewish groups.
However, author William Doino commended the ambassador for “opening up healthy and productive discussion” and supports his stance in favor of Pope Pius XII– who is often accused of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust.
Ambassador Lewy sparked the debate at a June 23 ceremony honoring World War II Italian priest Fr. Gaetano Piccini, when he recalled how convents and monasteries opened their doors to save Jews after the Nazis persecuted Rome's Ghetto in 1943.