SWC Issues Statement Following Evidence Catholic Church Was Aware of Nazi War Crimes

September 18, 2023

Human Rights NGO Continues to be Critical of Pope Pius XII being Considered for Sainthood

LOS ANGELES – The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) issued the following statement after recent reporting indicating the discovery of correspondence suggesting that Pope Pius XII had detailed information from a trusted German Jesuit that up to 6,000 Jews and Poles were being murdered during World War II:

“This newly discovered correspondence shows more explicit proof that Pope Pius XII should never be considered for Sainthood as he was publicly silent throughout the Holocaust. The letter, written by Rev. Lothar Koenigh to Pius’ secretary Rev. Robert Leiber, confirms the Catholic Church was aware of the enormity of the anti-Jewish mass murders during World War II.

The SWC has been fighting Pius’ Sainthood for more than two decades. In June 2022, a 30-member international delegation met with Pope Francis to present a facsimile of an original report authored and signed by Adolf Hitler in which he openly espouses the destruction of the Jewish people by ‘government of National strength.’”

For further information contact the Center’s Communications department at pressinquiries@wiesenthal.com, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. Media can also contact James Lambert, Vice President at Rubenstein Public Relations, at jlambert@rubensteinpr.com or at 1-212-805-3024.

About the Simon Wiesenthal Center  

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization. It holds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO).

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