Theology | Church | Spirituality

Holy Father, save us!

The letters of supplication from persecuted Jews to Pope Pius XII.
Monday, 23.01.2023
Pius XII / Wikimedia Commons

Around 15,000 Jewish people from all over Europe asked Pope Pius XII and the Vatican for help during the Nazi era.
In the research project "Asking the Pope for Help", church historian Prof. Dr Hubert Wolf and his team from the University of Münster are recording these letters of petition from the Vatican archives and preparing them in a digital edition. The Academy event is the start of this project, which, after start-up funding by the Krupp Foundation, is being significantly supported by the Foundation EVZ (Remembrance, Responsibility and Future) together with the Federal Foreign Office, the Bayer Foundation and SAP. The team introduces the project and answers initial overarching questions arising from the edition. Individual petition letters will be read out before Dr. Josef Schuster (President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany), the Auxiliary Bishop of Trier Jörg Michael Peters (representative of the German Bishops' Conference), Dr. h.c. Annette Schavan (Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation EVZ) and Prof. Dr Hubert Wolf will discuss and answer questions from the audience.

Cooperation with:

Seminar for Medieval and Modern Church History at the University of Münster; German Bishops' Conference

Programme of the event:

Around 15,000 Jewish people from all over Europe asked Pope Pius XII and the Vatican for help during the Nazi regime. They emotionally describe atrocities, persecution and fear of death. In the research project "Asking the Pope for Help" research project, church historian Prof. Dr Hubert Wolf and his team at the University of Münster are recording these letters of petition, which are stored in the Vatican archives and are preparing them for the public in an annotated digital edition. The academy event in the run-up to the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism marks the start of the project. of the project. Individual petition letters will be presented by Rudolf Guckelsberger, spokesperson for Südwestrundfunk. The team presents the project and answers the first overarching questions arising from the edition: Did the Holy See actually make distinctions between baptised and unbaptised Jews? What did the persecuted ask for? How was help granted? And how can the Pius XII's actions be evaluated? As Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation EVZ (Remembrance, Responsibility and Future), which is significantly supporting the project following initial funding from the Krupp Foundation together with the Federal Foreign Office, the Bayer Foundation and SAP. and SAP, the former Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Holy See, Annette Schavan, will give a welcoming address. Auxiliary Bishop Jörg Michael Peters from Trier, representing the German Bishops' Conference, and Dr Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, will also speak. Jews in Germany, will also have their say.

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