With the opening of the new Yad Vashem (Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem) exhibit in 2005, there was an historically incorrect placard placed above a photo of WWII Pope Pius XII in the “Hall of Shame.” There was international outcry to remove troubling remarks about the Church’s supposed inaction during the Holocaust. PTWF was asked to help resolve this issue, which has plagued Jewish Catholic relations for the past 47 years.
On July 1, 2012, after six years of work to identify and post online 76,000 pages of documents, news articles, official published works, and videotaped, eye witness testimonials from survivors, Yad Vashem revised their controversial placard to reflect a more accurate and balanced view. PTWF applauds this move towards historical accuracy, which Yad Vashem has clearly taken.
Pave the Way Foundation attempts to remove obstacles between the religions. Mindful of this, they have initiated an independent investigation of the Papacy of Pope Pius XII. This time in history has been a source of friction between the Jews and Catholics for over 70 years.
PTWF believes that our work will eventually result in eliminating one of the greatest obstacles to religious unity between these two groups.
