ADSS
9.264 Fr Marie-Benoît OFM Cap (1) to Pius XII
Reference: No number, (AES
4700/43)
Location and date: Rome,
15.07.1943
Summary statement: Report on
the situation of Jews in France; information on the deportations and KZ in
France
Language: French
Text:
Humbly prostrate at the feet
of Your Holiness, I have the honour to present to Your Holiness a note I wrote
about the Jews of France, their conversions, the feelings of gratitude they
have towards the Catholic Church for its charity towards them, and they would
like to present, through me, their petitions to the Holy See. The note is accompanied by four appendices,
designated by the letters A, B, C and D. (2)
The first two appendices A
and B contain lists of deportees about whom we are seeking information.
Appendix C contains
“Information on Camps in Upper-Silesia.”
Appendix D contains a “Note
on the camps and deportations in France.”
Note of Domenico Tardini:
18.07.1943: After audience with his Eminence (Maglione).
We will be able to say a good word for Italy …
Appendix: Note on the
subject of the Jews.
I returned from France a few
days ago, after spending three years in our convent of Friars Minor Capuchin in
Marseille. In my ministry, I was brought
in to teach the Catholic faith, and I baptised many Jews, exactly fifty one,
with the authorisation of the Bishop of Marseilles (3), and helped in this
apostolate, with the great intelligence and zeal of the religious of Our Lady
of Sion (4) in whose chapel most of the baptisms took place.
As a result of the raging
persecution against foreign Jews in France, I undertook this spiritual ministry
which led me, naturally, to take every measure I could to protect these
unfortunate people – converts or not – because all are subjects of Christian
charity, in collaboration with other priests, the religious of Our Lady of
Zion, the laity of Catholic Action, and also, needless to say, with Jewish
organisations, who show the greatest courage and the utmost dedication in the
defence of their co-religionists.
I took the opportunity to
getting in touch with the Italian authorities, in their zone of occupied
France. Italy has shown itself very
humane and protective of the Jews against both the German and French police,
which is to the nation’s honour. I have
been dealing with Mr Lo Spinosa (5), the Italian government representative for
Jewish affairs in Nice, and I, as both a Catholic and a Frenchman, have
commended and thanked him.
Having learned that I was
returning to Rome, the Jews asked me to voice their deep appreciation for the
love and dedication shown by the Sovereign Pontiff, and, at the same time to
submit their humble petitions.
I agreed, simply assuming
the consent of my Superior General (6), because, unfortunately, it was not
possible to write on such a subject. He
has now explicitly approved my mission.
In order to speak in a more
authoritative manner, I had a meeting in Lyon with the chairman of the central
consistory of French Jewish organisations for the last two years, Mr
Helbronner, the secretary of the consistory, Mr Meiss (7), the Chief Rabbi of
France, Mr Schwartz (8), his assistant, Rabbi Kaplan (9), the Chief Rabbi of
Lille, Mr Berman (10), the Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg, Mr Hirschler (11), the
Chief Rabbi of Marseilles, Mr Salzer (12), the President of the General Union
of French Jews (UGIF), Mr Lambert (13), the President of the French Jewish
Scouts, Mr Edmond Fleg (14) and many other eminent persons in the Jewish world,
such as the Italian, Mr Donati, Mr Jules Isaac (15), Mr Fisher, etc. All enthusiastically expressed the same
desire, so I am really speaking on behalf of French Jewry, and at the same time
for all the Jews of different nationalities across Europe who came to France in
hope of refuge, but who now are subject to a very severe persecution with no
protection and no humane policy.
This note expresses, in a
discreet manner, waiting for a time when it can be done publically and
solemnly, the deep recognition of all these Jews to the Sovereign Pontiff, and
at the same time, with confidence in his goodness, to present some requests,
which I offer on their behalf to the Pope today.
1) Deported Jews: Approximately 50,000 Jews – French and
foreign – were deported from France by the German police. A very small number
of them have been able up to now to send news, such as those whose names appear
in Appendix A, pages four to nine. Could
the Holy See organise an attempt to find out what has happened to all those unfortunate
people, to at least get a sign of life for those dear to them? Appendix A, from pages one to three, contains
the names of those deported. Appendix B contains
a few others and also the name of a Catholic (not Jewish). Other lists will be sent to me later and I
can send them to the Holy See, if approaches prove possible. Appendix C contains information on the camps
in Upper-Silesia where direct inquiries may be made. Appendix D (17), pages two and five describe
the process of the deportations.
2) Jewish concentration
camps in France: Appendix D, written by
Mr Hirschler, Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg and currently chaplain for Jewish
concentration camps in France, presents the sad situation of these camps. Could the intervention of the Holy See
improve this situation obtaining French or international aid organisations
access to these camps?
In case of a refusal by the
competent authorities, could the Holy See suggest to the Allied nations to put
pressure on the Axis threatening retaliation for both Jews in French camps and
those newly deported?
3) Spanish Jews in France: Spain has promised to repatriate these Jews,
but the administrative procedure is very long.
Meanwhile, they are prone to arrest at any time by the German
police. It is urgent that Spain provides
effective protection immediately, for example, by providing provisional
papers. Can the Holy See please say a
word to that effect to the Spanish government?
4) Foreign Jews in the
Italian occupied zone of France: I
mentioned earlier of the caring and compassionate attitude of Italy towards the
Jews. A fear remains, however, of what
would happen to those 8,000 to 10,000 Jews, grouped together in a number of
monitored residences, if for one reason or another, Germany decided to occupy
the area currently occupied by Italy. Their
situation would be immediately catastrophic.
Since these groups are only a few kilometres from the Italian border,
would it not be possible to pass them into Italy for use in various jobs? Is a suggestion along these lines possible?
I promised the Jews of
France – French and foreign – that I would make their needs known to the Holy
See, and those they will report to me in the future. (18)
Cross references:
(1) Fr Marie-Benoît (Pierre
Peteul) born in Bourg d’Iré (Maine-et-Loire) 03.03.1895. Entered the Capuchin friars in 1913. Professor of theology, Rome. From 1940 he was active in helping
foreign-born Jewish refugees from German-occupied France in Marseille, Cannes and
Nice and afterwards in Rome. Died 05.02.1990.
(2) Not published in ADSS.
(3) Jean Delay (1879-1966),
bishop of Marseilles 1937-1956.
(4) Congregation founded in
1843 in Paris by Jewish converts for the conversion of the Jewish people.
(5) Guido Lo Spinoso. Inspector General on Racial Matters, sent to
Nice to supervise the estimated 30,000 Jews.
(6) Donato Wynant a Welle
(1890-1972), Belgian born General of the OFM Caps 1938-1946.
(7) Jacques Helbronner
(1873-1943), former counsellor of State, deported from Lyon 1942, murdered in
Auschwitz 23.11.1943; Leon Meiss (1896-1966), President of the Consistory of
French Jews; from 1944 head of the council of Representatives of French Jews.
(8) Isaiah Schwartz,
(1876-1952), Chief Rabbi of France 1939-1952.
(9) Jacques Kaplan,
(1895-1994), Chief Rabbi of Paris, 1950-1955 and of France 1955-1981.
(10) Léon Berman (1892-1943
), Chief Rabbi of Lille 1934-1939; arrested 15.10.1943 and deported to
Auschwitz on 28.10.1943 were he was murdered.
(11) René Hirschler,
(1905-1944) rabbi of Mulhouse, then Strasbourg, arrested by the Gestapo in
Marseille on 23.12.1943. He was deported to Auschwitz in 03.02.1944, evacuated
on death march to KL Mauthausen and then to KL Ebensee where he died of
exhaustion shortly before Liberation.
(12) Israël Salzer (1904-1990),
Chief Rabbi of Marseille since 1929; saved in hiding by Christian neighbours
and Bishop Marius Chalve (1881-1970)
(13) Raymond-Raoul Lambert (1894-1943), arrested
with his family on 21.08.1943. Murdered
in Auschwitz with his wife and four children on 10.12.1943.
(14) Edmund Fleg (Flagenheimer)
(1874-1963), writer and early promoter of Christian-Jewish dialogue with Jules
Isaac.
(15) Angelo Donati (1885-1960); Jules Isaac
(1877-1963), historian; Joseph Ariel (Fisher) (1893-1965) played an important
role in Jewish resistance in France and rescued many Jews.
(16) This list gave information of thirteen
concentration camps in Upper-Silesia, the names of four camps in the
Gouvernement General (Poland) and the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia. The authors make no mention to the extermination
of the Jews, but they spoke of labour camps and that “morale among the
deportees is generally good and they are confident of the future.”
(17) The note on the
deportation and the camps in France is divided into two parts” the occupied
zone and the southern zone. It provides
information on arrests of Jews, the camps and deportation. “ … Most of the interned Jews are deported to
unknown locations. From the time they
leave the camp, their families receive no news, and this is where the torture
begins, all links are broken. For many
this has gone on for two years … The deportations are often the most
painful. Men have their heads
shaved. Anti-Jewish French police rob
the poor of what they still have … The deportations began in the unoccupied
zone in August 1942. From August to
September, 12,000 foreigners were deported on successive trains via the
occupied zone and then to an unknown destination. A second deportation took place between 25
February and 3 March 1943, totalling approximately 1,600 people. These operations were carried out entirely by
the French authorities, often with a repugnance they did not attempt to
hide. Departures were less tragic than
in the occupied zone … It must be said that the deportees often behaved like
heroes …”
(18) See ADSS 9.267
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