Will He or Won't He?

Several rabbis recently met with Pope Benedict to urge the suspension of the cause for sainthood for Pope Pius XII. Pope Pius was Pope during the WWII years. Many people feel that he did not do enough to aid Jews during the Holocaust. For a related article from TIME, go to: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1848707,00.html.

My question is: Who did do enough for the Jews during the Holocaust? Pope Pius was caught in what could be the greatest diplomatic and moral dilemma in history. He could have actively and publicly denouced and fought against the Nazi policies. Had he have done that, the Nazi's would have likely sought retribution by torturing and killing many more Catholics, especially nuns and priests (including "underground" priests and seminarians like Karol Wojtila, the future Pope John Paul II). Evidence shows that many priests and nuns, including Pope Pius, went to great lengths to assist Jews that were fleeing from the Nazi atrocities. Even with hindsight, I don't know how anyone could argue that Pope Pius took the right course of action or that he took the wrong course of action.

Pope Benedict now faces another diplomatic dilemma. Does he go forward with the cause for sainthood for Pope Pius XII and alienate many Jewish leaders during a time when significant progress is being made in relationships beween Jewish and Roman Catholic leaders?

My hope is that Pope Pius XII's cause for sainthood continues on in "Vatican" time. That would leave plenty of time for discussions between Jewish and Roman Catholic leaders on the actions Pope Pius did and did not take to assist Jews during WWII.