Correspondence between Pope Pius XII, who served as Pope during World War II, and a German Jesuit, has shed light on Pius s awareness of the Nazi atrocities committed during the Holocaust.
Wartime Pope Pius XII knew details about the Nazi attempt to exterminate Jews in the Holocaust as early as 1942, according to a letter found in the Vatican archives that conflicts with the Holy See's official position at the time that the information it had was vague and unverified. The yellowed, typewritten letter, reproduced in Italy's Corriere della Sera on.
In the letter, Father Lother Koenig tells pope’s personal secretary at Vatican, Father Robert Leiber, that sources had confirmed about 6,000 Poles and Jews a day were being killed in “SS-furnaces” at Belzec camp.
Letter shows Pope Pius XII probably knew about the Holocaust as early as 1942 bworldonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bworldonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A letter from World War II recently discovered in the Vatican archives shows that Pope Pius XII knew about the Holocaust earlier than previously known.