I have a book that tells the story of what one famous Italian city did to save Jews from the Nazis in WWII. It’s called ‘The Assisi Underground’.
In this book, the ‘leader’ of this underground operation, Padre Ruffino Niccaci, tells of his role in hiding Jewish refugees-mostly Eastern European-under the very noses of the Nazis. The Germans took over Assisi in October 1943 [on the very eve of St. Francis’ death, as the townspeople were at the traditional ‘Transitus’ service in the Basilica of San Francesco!]. The town was going to be used as a convalescent center for wounded German soldiers. Providentially, the German commandant was a Catholic from Bavaria [yep, the same area that Papa Benedict was born], Colonel Robert Mueller, who was a doctor by profession-and no Nazi.
Padre Ruffino, along with the Bishop of Assisi, Nicolini [can’t think of his last name right now, but I think he was a Benedictine], and the head priest of San Rufino Cathedral Don Aldo Brunacci, did everything they could to protect the Jews who sought shelter. They were placed at first in one of the Poor Clare monasteries-over the initial objection of the Mother Superior-as well as in trusted private homes.
Not one Jewish refugee was ever caught. Only one died, and she suffered complications from diabetes. And another refugee, who got a job with the German army, did a very daring-and potentially dangerous-thing: he forged the signature of Field Marshal Kesselring [commander of German forces in northern Italy] on a document that declared Assisi an open city. By this time, in August 1944, the British were on their way up the Italian peninsula. In fact, SS sappers were already planting mines around buildings in Assisi to destroy everything in the face of the Allied advance. But the document found its way into the hands of Colonel Mueller; and he, not knowing it was a forgery, ordered all German troops to leave town, thus saving Assisi from destruction.
For the heroic work that Padre Ruffino and the others in Assisi did, the Israeli government awarded Padre Ruffino, Bishop Nicolini [posthumously] and Don Brunacci the ‘Righteous Gentile’ award. And Colonel Mueller was considered a hero by the people of Assisi for saving their city from being destroyed.
So when I hear people saying that the Church did nothing to save the Jews in World War II, I say, ‘Look at what the people in the city of St. Francis did!’
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Perhaps only those used at Bob Jones University …
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