Mything the mark on Pius XII

It’s sad how far anti-Catholic myths can permeate even Catholic circles. I attend a ladies’ Bible study group every week. In addition to studying Scripture, we also get together for daily Mass. All of the women are orthodox Catholics, and we get along very well. In fact, since most of us are older, we try to act as a support system for one another. 

One morning, we were talking about the recent apologies the pope has made for some of the negative things Catholics have done throughout history. One of the members, Karen, let out a loud sigh, and said, “Yes, well the Church needs to apologize — it’s always doing terrible things.”

Her comment struck me (as well as other members of the group). “What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, haven’t you heard about the new book that shows the Catholic Church collaborated with the Nazis during the Holocaust?” she answered.

I knew she was referring to Hitler’s Pope, by John Cornwell, since I’d already heard so much about it. Thankfully, I’d also seen two programs on the Eternal Word Television Network answering the charges in the book. “Oh, that book is completely and utterly wrong. And not only is it wrong, but it can be proven wrong. All you need to do is check the historical record.”

She looked at me suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” I replied, “the historical record of Pope Pius XII’s activities during the Holocaust are there for everyone to see. Did you know that both Golda Meir and Albert Einstein praised the Church and Pius XII for their activities in standing up for the Jews? Or how about the two New York Times editorials, that described the pope as a lone voice crying out in the darkness of Europe? Or what about the fact that the chief rabbis of Jerusalem and Rome both heaped praise on the pope for his relentless defense of the Jews? In fact, when the chief rabbi of Rome converted to Catholicism after the war, he took “Eugenio” — Pius XII’s given name — as his baptismal name, in tribute to the pope.”

Karen was certainly stunned by all the information I dumped on her. “Where can I find out more about this?” she asked.

Luckily, I’d taped the EWTN shows, so I lent her the cassettes. Hopefully, once she sees the facts, she’ll abandon her prior misconceptions. It’s just amazing how successful some of these myths are. If an orthodox Catholic like Karen can fall for them, anyone can.

Agnes Williams, Covington, KY

Oh, brother

Evangelization is most difficult when we have to do it with our own family members. That’s what I’ve found, anyway. I returned to my Catholic Faith several years ago, after spending a long time in the secular world. Money and advancement were my goals back then, until the Lord turned me around and pointed me toward Him. I’m now getting my master’s degree in counseling at Franciscan University of Steubenville.

While I’ve firmly returned to the Faith of my childhood, my brother Joe has not. He is, as I was, rooted in the things of this world. He’s found a lot of success in his work, and has let that take over a large part of his life. For Joe, Catholicism is silly — of no use to him. Usually, when I or another member of my family tries to share the Faith with him, he refuses to be open to it. The few times when he does listen to what we’re saying, he usually argues back. However, recently, I was in a phone conversation with him, and things were different.

We were just shooting the breeze, talking about our lives, when I mentioned my possible vocation to the priesthood. He didn’t react well. “Why would you want to be a priest? What good is that?” 

I tried to explain to him that the priesthood is a call from God. He didn’t react quite as strongly as usual. “Still,” he replied. “What’s the point of being Catholic? I mean, the Church is completely messed up.”

“No,” I responded. “The Church has some members who are messed up, but the Church isn’t just made up of its members. It’s also composed of the hierarchy, the doctrines and the liturgy.” He seemed to be listening, so I continued. “In the Bible, Jesus tells Peter that He’s going to build a Church on him, and that the ‘gates of Hades will not prevail against it’ (cf. Matt. 16:18). Jesus gave us His word that the Church would never be completely messed up. He’s protecting it. In fact, He said He’d be with us always (cf. Matt. 28:20). He guides the Church and keeps it from falling off the boat. If we can trust Jesus, then we can trust Him to keep His word.”

Joe wasn’t as argumentative as usual. I could tell that he was really listening this time.

He asked, “Well, what about that part of Mass where everyone says, ‘Lord, I’m not worthy to receive you’? I mean, how terrible is that? All that does is make people feel worthless and just fills them up with guilt. What kind of self-affirming Church would do that kind of thing?”

“No,” I again responded. “When we say we’re not worthy to receive the Lord, we’re telling the truth. How can mere mortals — sinful and weak — be worthy to commune with the perfect Creator of the universe? We can’t. All of us are imperfect, and you know it. We all do things we shouldn’t, we all fall prey to things we ought to avoid. When we receive Jesus, He lifts us up to be united with Him, even if just for a little while at Communion. The God Who is perfect and good and loving lets us come to Him, even though we’re not perfect and good and loving. I can’t think of anything that could be more affirming than that!”

Joe was quiet for a moment, obviously in thought. Our conversation turned back to family stuff and small-talk. Still, I could tell that my words got through this time. Who knows what will happen with Joe? I am, however, confident the Lord planted a seed that evening. It showed me that no matter how frustrated I get, no matter how stubborn someone might be, God can always change hearts.

Mark Leopold, Steubenville, OH

The time-release prayer capsule

In taking time away from my job to do some paperwork in our office, my colleague and I started talking about the happenings of our past weekend. This topic soon turned to our marital spirituality. This kind of spontaneous, intimate, non-work-related discussion was very unusual for us. Generally, all our talk centered around our jobs.

My husband and I had just facilitated a Catholic Engaged Encounter weekend and, needless to say, I was high on the beauty brought forth from nurturing a marriage centered on Jesus. In the course of our conversation, my colleague told me her husband would never take part in such a program, since he wasn’t a “touchy-feely” kind of guy. She also told me she attended weekly Mass while her husband, a Catholic, didn’t. While she seemed resigned to the idea that he would never change, it was clear she anguished over the situation. In response to her despair, I told her casually (but seriously) that I’d pray her husband would develop the desire to attend Mass. I also encouraged her to do the same — prayer does change things, after all. It’s a powerful weapon, and that alone would have the power to change her husband’s heart. She didn’t say anything in response to my suggestion, but just listened. 

From then on, until I left the job to begin a family, nothing more was ever mentioned about the topic. A few years later, however, my old coworker and I unexpectedly reunited at a conference. During the breaks, we enthusiastically discussed our profession, and how it related to what we were hearing. At one point, she happily mentioned the conversation we had regarding her husband and Mass. She told me that, at the time, when I said I’d pray for her husband — and suggested she do so also — she thought I was crazy! However, she joyfully admitted, it worked. Not only does he attend Sunday Mass with her, but he sometimes goes to weekday Masses with her as well. In fact, they often bring up the offertory gifts as a couple. 

This experience just reinforces the need we all have to put aside pride and take the risk of honestly telling others what’s in our hearts. After all, it’s through the heart that Jesus lives and works in us. 

Clare King, Windsor, CA

Send your random access encounters to: “Random Access,” Envoy Magazine, P.O. Box 640, Granville, OH, 43023; or e-mail them to caroline@envoymagazine.com.