THE PORTRAYAL of wartime pope Pius XII as someone indifferent to the fate of Jews and all other victims of Nazism is simply "historically unfounded", according to the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
Speaking in Rome yesterday at a seminar marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Pius, Cardinal Bertone suggested that Pius owed his controversial reputation to Soviet propaganda, saying: "The representation of Pius XII as someone indifferent to the fate of the victims of Nazism, the Poles and above all the Jews and to label him 'Hitler's Pope' is not only offensive but also historically unfounded, just as is the version of Pius XII as someone dominated by the Americans and 'the chaplain of the West', a version that was propagated and repeated by the Soviets during the cold war."
Cardinal Bertone went on to say that the issue of the beatification of Pius XII, much contested by senior Jewish figures, was a "religious consideration that must be respected by everyone" and which is "the exclusive competence of the Church".
Controversy flared last month when Pope Benedict XVI praised Pius XII during a Vatican ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of his death.
Pope Benedict's comments came just three days after the chief rabbi of Haifa, Shear-Yushev Cohen, while in Rome to address the Vatican's Synod, had said that Pius should not be seen as a "model" and that he should not be beatified.
Many observers had suggested that, in the interest of maintaining good Catholic-Jewish relations, Pope Benedict might well delay the beatification process.
Cardinal Bertone's remarks, however, would indicate that at least some senior Vatican figures believe the timetable for the beatification process is a matter for the Vatican and the Vatican alone.