L'homme qui s'appelait Jean

A decent movie, but as you can see from the review below by clyons, the calumny against Pope Pius XII never ceases. The so-called "silent" Pope was hailed at the time of his death by world Judaism as a hero who saved millions. Golda Meir praised him. The chief rabbi of Rome converted to Catholicism under Pius' wing. Leonard Bernstein halted a concert to mourn the passing of a "great humanitarian" upon learning of Pius' death. The New York Times editorialised in the 1940's that Pius was a lone voice crying out in the wilderness against the horrors of the Nazi regime. Why can't these pathetic Pius XII haters do a little research and get their facts straight? Ever heard of Google? Use it. Know what you're talking about before defaming one of the greatest, holiest men of the mid-20th century.

The Roman Catholic Church has come under attack recently for its supposed "silence" with regard to the Holocaust in World War II. This is a rare film that demonstrates the actual record.

Angelo Roncalli, who later became Pope John XXIII, was serving as the Holy See's Apostolic Nuncio (ambassador) to Turkey in World War II when Germany sought to pressure Turkey to expel Jewish refugees there. The film shows how Roncalli foiled this effort. His was one of many similar efforts across Europe.

I would also recommend, for those interested in films in this general area, "The Scarlet and the Black," a 1983 made-for-TV movie with Gregory Peck as Monsignor Flanigan and Christopher Plummer as the Nazi officer.

The choice of the name John XXIII by the newly elected Pope, the former Angelo Cardinal Roncalli, caused a stir among Church history scholars. The problem was that there already was a Pope John XXIII in the Middle Ages. But he was an anti-Pope. This, however, was in dispute among some circles with some alleging that the medieval John was duly elected. Thus, for hundreds of years no Pope had taken the name of John fearing perhaps that, one way or the other, they would be passing erroneous judgment on this controversy. It is said that Roncalli decided to end the controversy by becoming the 23rd John, thus affirming that the other John XXIII was not a valid Pope.

When I was a child, the just departed Pope John was viewed by many as a Saint.

I was, therefore, both scandalized and amused that this movie should portray him as a forger and a dissembler. He was involved in rescuing east European Jewish children from the Nazi holocaust by supplying them with Baptismal Certificates to "prove" that they were Catholics and therefore should be allowed to emigrate and issued passports by sympathetic members of the international diplomatic corps who were colleagues of Msgr. Angelo Roncalli, Papal Nuncio to Turkey. The foreign diplomats considered him (elected?) their "Dean."

About the moral question: In Acts, we read about Paul hiding in one of the jars laden on a donkey when he was being pursued by soldier agents of the Sanhedrin. When asked of his whereabouts, his companion answered: "He has not gone far" therefore leading the soldiers on a wild goose chase. Did Paul's disciple lie? He did not. Did he deceive the questioners? No. The soldiers deceived themselves.

I thought about this when I saw the movie but somehow I found that the position of St. Paul's companion did not exactly match that of Msgr. Roncalli. As Papal Nuncio, the latter signed documents which stated facts which he knew were not true. Not only that, he ordered their preparation.

The question is begged: Were the Nazis entitled to the truth? Were the immigration authorities of other countries concerned similarly entitled? (They would have turned back the children if they knew they were Jews.) The answer to both questions is : No. Did Msgr. Roncalli "bear false witness against thy (his) neighbor"? Again the answer is : No. Not that the Nazis were not Roncalli's neighbors but in the sense that he did not bear witness against them. It may even be said that he was performing an act of charity in their favor by depriving them of the opportunity to commit the heinous crime of murdering innocent children.

In my humble opinion, we could safely say that Angelo Roncalli or Pope John XXIII is not now burning in hell or even undergoing purgation for what he did to save Jewish children. Pope John Paul II obviously agrees for he has promoted our good Pope John from Venerable to Blessed.

By the way, Raymond Burr, delivered a very credible and "look alike" performance closely mimicking the mannerisms and almost hunchback stoop of the late Pope. To think that in movies, I often saw Burr as a bad guy "heavy" except of course on TV's Perry Mason where he was the hero.

This compelling true story is one of the most memorable I have seen on TV. Raymond Burr's performance was magnetic. The screenplay brought to life a little known historical event. Roncalli is a true model for all Christians, willing to save the lives of Jewish children by obtaining Catholic Baptismal certificates for them. I wish this program were available somewhere. Does anyone know of a tape that exists of this program? I have visited the Raymond Burr vineyards in Sonoma, California and have talked with Burr's long time companion who says that the distribution rights to this Harbor Production are now with Universal. In the winery shop there is a cover from the TV Guide in 1973 showing Raymond Burr in profile as Pope John XXIII. I implore anyone who reads this to contact Universal and help get this program out to the public again. It should not be in some archive.

Aside from Roncalli, who was the dearest, so many priests and bishops scarified to help oppose the Nazi. We must remember that to defeat them the entire world was required to do battle: USA, GB, Australia, Canada, France, and even, yes, Russia. Why, then, and how could one lone little Italian, Pope Pius XII, in a sane mind have been 'braver' than he was? His l937 ex cathedra, Mit Brennender Sorge, explicitly states that what was going on in Germany was "pagan cult". Pius XII knew that to 'cop an attitude' with Hitler would have resulted in extreme reprisals against German and all other Catholics; he could offer his life, but what of the guy in the street? He was not cowardly.