International Fascism, 1919-45 by Robert Mallett & Gert Sorensen

Author:Robert Mallett & Gert Sorensen [Mallett, Robert & Sorensen, Gert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Business & Economics, International, General
ISBN: 9780714653013
Google: gu_eVojv3_cC
Amazon: B00FQDG7EY
Barnesnoble: B00FQDG7EY
Goodreads: 19628079
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2002-01-15T10:15:27+00:00

Atrocities, War Crimes and the Holocaust

Given the enormity of the Holocaust, and the extent of other war crimes in the Second World War, it is extremely difficult to establish a moral equivalent with atrocities during the First World War. Yet it can be argued that Benedict XV faced moral dilemmas over how to react to reports of alleged atrocities and war crimes which were not entirely dissimilar from those facing Pius XII. As in the Second World War, so in the First the papacy was approached by belligerents on both sides anxious to elicit the moral condemnation of the pope for what they judged to be ‘war crimes’ allegedly committed by the others. In particular, the British, French and Belgians demanded that Benedict condemn German violation of Belgium’s neutrality and atrocities subsequently committed there, including the sacking of Louvain and the shootings of civilians.35 The Germans countered by accusing Belgian civilians of breaking the rules of war by forcibly resisting the occupation of their country.36 Another major complaint was against the enforced labour, and even deportation, of civilian populations in Belgium and northern France by the Germans.37 The Vatican’s response to these demands was to point out the complaints from the Germans about the behaviour of Entente armies: in particular, Russian troops’ treatment of Jews and Catholics in occupied Poland.38 By the end of the war, the Vatican’s archives were bulging with ‘white’, ‘grey’, ‘green’ and ‘orange’ books produced by the belligerents on both sides detailing alleged atrocities perpetrated by the enemy, along with carefully argued ripostes to them.

Though called upon explicitly to act as a final court of war morality, Benedict was very unwilling to get involved in these disputes and the Vatican’s Congregation of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, the consultative organ of the Secretariat of State, pronounced the opinion that condemnations of alleged atrocities would hamper the Pope’s humanitarian work and hinder his peace efforts, leading Gasparri to declare that ‘the Holy See preferred the good of suffering humanity’.39 Pius XII, who was secretary of the Congregation when this opinion was given, seems to have allowed its policy to guide him as pope during the Second World War. This is one way to explain his alleged ‘silences’, or at best very vaguely worded protests, against the Holocaust and other mass killings.

Like Benedict, Pius XII faced the problem that the specific naming of atrocities committed by one side would have to have been accompanied by condemnation of those of the other. Thus, in the Second World War, had Pius XII condemned Nazi crimes against the Jews and Poles, and those of the Croats against the Serbs and gypsies, then he would also have had to condemn Soviet ones, such as the deportations of ethnic and national minorities like the Volga Germans, Tartars, Chechen-Ingushi and so on, not to mention the Allied bombing of Dresden. That would not have pleased the Allies.40

The real difference between the situation which faced Benedict and that to which Pius XII had to respond, was the

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