Vatican defends Pope Pius' decisions during the Holocaust
Pope Pius XII
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican stepped up its defense of Pope Pius XII on Tuesday, countering allegations the wartime pontiff was silent about the Holocaust by saying he saved Jews through his prudent diplomacy.
The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano dedicated an entire page to praising Pius, including an impassioned tribute from the Holy See's secretary of state, Italian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
"It was precisely by means of a prudent approach that Pius XII protected Jews and refugees," Bertone wrote in an introduction to a book by a nun about the late pontiff....