German historian, Michael Hesemann, visited the German cathedral in Rome, Santa Maria del Anima.
Michael located Hudal’s own transcript of his letter to Major General Stahel of October 16, 1943, beginning
with the words “Let me add a very urgent aff air: Just now, a high Vatican source from the immediate
surroundings of the holy Father (Pope Pius XII’s nephew Prince Carlo Pacelli), reported to me that this
morning the arrest of the Jews of Italian nationality has started. In the interest of a peaceful dialogue between
the Vatican and the German military command, I ask you with urgency to give the order to immediately
stop these arrests in Rome and the surrounding area. Th e German reputation in foreign countries requires
such a measure and also the danger that the Pope would openly protest against it . . .”
From the answer of the General on October 17, by telephone: “I forwarded the aff air immediately to the local
Gestapo and to Himmler personally. Himmler ordered that, concerning the special status of Rome, these
arrests are to be stopped immediately . . .” Th is response from Stahel confi rms that the intervention of Pope
Pius XII, through his nephew and delivery of the letter by Father Pfeiff er, was eff ective in ending the arrests
of the Jews of Rome. Th is action, along with the Pope’s action to open all Catholic institutions to hide the
Jews, protected an estimated twelve thousand Jews who were in Rome on that date.
Another Hudal document is titled “Th e direct actions to save innumerable persons of the Hebrew nation.” In it he
states that he managed, through Stahel and Colonel Baron von Veltheim, to get “550 Catholic religious colleges
and institutions an exemption from inspections and visitations by the German military police.” In the Institute of
St. Joseph alone, eighty Jews were hidden. Th e note also mentions the material involvement of Prince Carlo Pacelli,
the nephew of Pius XII. “Th e German soldiers were very disciplined and respected the signature of a high German
offi cial . . . Th ousands of local Jews in Rome, Assisi, Loreto, Padua, etc., were saved due to this declaration.”
Today the Roman Jewish community holds a very negative view of Pope Pius XII because of his perceived
indiff erence as the train carrying 1,007 Jews left Rome enroute to Auschwitz. As one can surmise from the actual
documents from Bishop Hudal, the Pope’s threatened public denunciation was one of the measures used to force
General Stahel to directly intercede to stop the arrest. Had the Pope condemned the departure of the train itself,
the arrest of the twelve thousand remaining Jews might have been restarted. Th e critics use this argument against
Pope Pius XII, but evidence shows such an action could have caused the death of twelve thousand more Jews.
Source: Pope Pius XII and World War II: The Documented Truth