login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Belen Fernandez
Andrew Mitrovica
Gideon Levy
Rachel Marsden
Warren J. Blumenfeld
Dr Ramzy Baroud
Tarik Cyril Amar
Tafi Mhaka
Adam Makary
We got the pope we needed at the time we needed it
When I was a kid I coveted a small plaster bust that had pride of place in my granny’s display cabinet alongside souvenirs of holidays in Bray and the tea service she got for a wedding present.
The little figure had a hooked nose and a severe look. He seemed very regal.
My grandad was no monarchist, but this guy had been crowned in a lavish ceremony attended by other heads of state; world leaders and celebrities craved his attention; and hundreds of millions looked to him as their father protector.
The name inscribed on the plinth was Pius XII.
Mary Kelly: Ireland is right to call out the slaughter of innocents
Tom Collins: We got the pope we needed at the time we needed it
I don’t know where the statue is now – do you have it Uncle Larry? –but I have outgrown my childish fascination with it, and I now know a little more about the man they call Hitler’s pope (Given how quiet the news is over Christmas, I am sure the editor will welcome a tide of letters on this subject.)
Pius was dead and buried in his triple coffin by the time I was born, but – as someone said in another context – he hasn’t gone away you know. Historians are poring over his record.
Pope Pius XII pictured in St Peter's SquareThe first pope of my lifetime was the avuncular John XXIII – now a saint. I........
© The Irish News
visit website
