VATICAN CITY, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The Vatican denies moving Pope Pius XII toward sainthood is an act of hostility against those who say the wartime pope did not do enough to stop the Holocaust.
The Vatican says the beatification process looks at the "Christian life" of Pius, who became Pope in 1939, and not "the historical significance of his choices," The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Pope Benedict XVI confirmed the "heroic virtues" of Pius, a step toward sainthood once a miracle is attributed to him, the Times said.
Jewish groups reacted angrily, arguing Pius refused to speak out strongly enough against the Nazi persecution of Jews during the war.
In 1943, more than 1,000 members of Rome's synagogue were seized and sent to Auschwitz. Vatican archive documents show Pius was aware of the deportation and did not attempt to stop it, the Times reported.
Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said advancing Pius toward sainthood "should not in any way be read as a hostile act against the Jewish people, and we hope it will not be considered an obstacle in the path of dialogue between Judaism and the Catholic Church."
Jewish groups want Pius's beatification process put on hold until the Vatican opens the archives from his papacy to scholarly scrutiny.
The chief rabbi of Rome said he welcomed the Vatican statement.
"Certainly, the historical evaluation remains open and controversial," Rabbi Ricardo Di Segni said, "but the Vatican's understanding of requests to open all paths to research is significant."
