The Church vs. Vichy
Published: May 2, 1995
To the Editor:
The Israeli editorialist who demanded that Jean-Marie Cardinal Lustiger, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Paris, explain "the silence of his church" during the Shoah displayed ignorance of the wartime church in France (Jerusalem Journal, April 28).
For sure, some church leaders early on embraced the Vichy regime. When the issue of Jewish deportations arose, however, the church did not remain passive.
David Wyman's "Abandonment of the Jews" reports: "In France, deportations brought a barrage of denunciation. Several Roman Catholic prelates, including the archbishops of Paris, Lyon and Toulouse, protested vigorously. The cardinals and archbishops of the Occupied Zone united in condemnation." Indeed, Archbishop Jules-Gerard Saliege's protest letter was read twice over Vatican Radio. KEVIN M. DOYLE Birmingham, Ala., April 28, 1995