Israel Holocaust memorial softens view of WW2 pope

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel's national Holocaust memorial has toned down its account of Pope Pius XII's controversial conduct during World War II, following a diplomatic flap with the Vatican.

A wall panel at the Yad Vashem memorial inaugurated Sunday still says the wartime pontiff did not do enough on behalf of Europe's Jews. But it also offers the views of defenders who say that the church's "neutrality" helped save lives.

It takes a veiled barb at the Vatican for not opening its secret archives for historians to review the pontiff's wartime actions.

The papal nuncio to Israel had threatened to skip the annual Holocaust remembrance day ceremony at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem 2007 because of the panel. He eventually relented, but the spat frayed delicate ties between Israel and the Vatican.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-01-ML-Israel-Wartime-Pope/id-c90e67475f784d47a11bab249426bf45

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