Old documents published
Catholic Church hid thousands of Jews in Rome
September 7, 2023, 6:32 p.m
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The role of the Vatican during the fascist regimes in Germany and Italy is controversial. Now, previously unpublished documents have revealed that the Catholic Church hid more than 3,000 Jews in Rome during the Second World War. The papers were once considered lost.
During World War II, the Catholic Church in Rome hid more than 3,000 Jews, according to previously unpublished documents. The files from the Vatican’s Biblical Institute were presented to the public for the first time. In total, it contains the names of 3,600 people who found refuge with the help of Catholic women’s and men’s orders. A comparison with documents from the archives of Rome’s Jewish community shows that 3,200 of them were of the Jewish faith.
The documents were created by a Jesuit partner after the liberation of the Italian capital in June 1944. They were then the basis for a study by the Italian historian Renzo de Felice in 1961, but had been considered lost for decades. In total, there are 4,300 people in hiding, although several hundred of them have not yet been identified by name. Out of consideration for the families affected, no names were given by the others.
The role of the Vatican during the Nazi dictatorship and the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini in Italy is still controversial today. In particular, it concerns the responsibility of Pope Pius XII, whose pontificate lasted from 1939 to 1958. The Italian – whose real name is Eugenio Pacelli – was criticized during his lifetime for his dealings with Nazi Germany. He is also accused of remaining silent on the subject of the Holocaust. However, there are also historians who defend him.
Today’s Pope Francis ordered the disclosure of all files. The archives have been accessible since 2020. At the beginning of the Second World War, between 10,000 and 15,000 Jews lived in Rome. More than 2,000 were murdered by Nazi troops. The city was occupied by German troops for nine months until it was liberated by the Allies in June 1944.