Lots has been said about Pope Pius XII.

Did he ignore the plight of the Jews during World War II?

Did he do enough to end their plight?

What did he do?

Pope Benedict XVI is quick to defend him, claiming that he acted silently to save as many Jews as possible. (I’m uncomfortable with the word ‘silent’ ~ there’s a note of ‘opt-out’ in it)

The Vatican has always been quick to defend Pius XII, saying that he used behind-the-scenes diplomacy to help the Jews. Six million Jews died. I wonder how many his diplomacy saved? I wonder how many his ‘not so secret diplomacy’ might have saved?

In his defence, he said in a Christmas message in December 1942 that he deplored the situation of ’hundreds of thousands of persons, who, for no fault of their own, only for reason of nationality or ethnic roots, were destined for death or for steady deterioration,’

Perhaps he was a victim of circumstance; he became Pope in 1939 and the world went downhill for 6 years.

This year is the fiftieth anniversary of his death and the Vatican is mooting his future elevation to sainthood.

The issues surrounding his papacy need to be cleared up before they make a ‘saint’ of the man.

The secret archives section dealing with his papacy have yet to be opened up to historians. I reckon that would be a good place to start.

On an aside note …. this whole process/notion/idea of elevating people/popes etc. to sainthood sounds totally illogical to me.

Who gave these ‘experts’ the right/authority to call somebody a saint? After all they are only human like you and me …. and being human they ain’t perfect.

I guess having another saint is good for business … think of all the additional sales in religious objects!

This ad is brilliant. Hovis created this 122 second ad that runs from a bakers in 1886 all the way up to 2008.

The boy’s travels take him down Victorian streets, past a Suffragette protest, and alongside soldiers heading off to the First World War. He gets a glimpse of the swinging 60s, sees the unrest of the mid-80s, and the fireworks to herald the Millennium.

He clutches his loaf of Hovis as he runs through the years. Brilliant. Well done Hovis. A work of genius.

And another classic:

I do love history …

During World War II, millions of Jews, Roma (Gypsies), Poles, other Eastern Europeans, and people of other nationalities and religions were forced to work under inhuman conditions in the Nazi industry as slave labourers.

Many did not survive, and became part of the Nazi Holocaust.

A total of 8 to 12 million slaves worked for the Nazi war machine.

The average slave worked for about 7,000 hours over a two year period.

It may surprise you to learn that the following companies used slave labour during World war II:

• Agfa
• Allianz (Allianz insured the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau as well as other death camps)
• BASF
• Bayer
• BMW
• Daimler Benz (Chrysler)
• Dresdner Bank (now part of the Allianz group)
• Ford Werke A.G (Ford Motor Company based in Cologne)
• Fred Krupp (now part of ThyssenKrupp)
• Hoesch Krupp (now part of ThyssenKrupp)
• Hoechst
• Siemens (The crematorium ovens at Buchenwald concentration camp bear the Siemens label).
• Volkswagen (One former slave worker said of Volkswagen: “They wanted you to be an animal. They didn’t care if you fell down sick. They sent you to the death camp. There were always more to take your place.” VW also had a “dying room” at its main plant where women slave labourers were forced to leave their newborns to expire.)

“Without IG Farben, WWII would not have been possible!”

During World War II, the IG Farben chemical company manufactured the deadly Zyklon B gas that was used to kill millions of victims in Nazi gas chambers.

Agfa, BASF, Bayer and Hoechst which were part of the IG Farben company still thrive today. The IG Farben building is now part of the University of Frankfurt.

Günther Quandt was a German industrialist who founded an industrial empire that today includes BMW and Altana (chemicals). Eight of the hundred currently richest Germans are among his descendants.

In 1937 Hitler appointed him to the position of Wehrwirtschaftsführer, (Leader of the Armament Economy), a title given to industrialists who played a leading role in the Nazi war economy.

Günther’s second wife Magda became Joseph Goebbel‘s wife. Adolf Hitler was as a witness at their wedding.

Today the Quandts are multi-billionaires, although it is difficult to put an exact figure on their wealth. They do not give interviews and are very publicity shy.

Two of the current board members of BMW are members of the Quandt family:

• Susanne Klatten (the richest woman in Germany)
• Stefan Quandt (96th richest person in the world)

The Children of the Holocaust

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXHxcgmlpLQ[/youtube]

The children of the holocaust suffered and died while companies and individuals built massive empires during the Nazi era.

Having built their empires ….. they now continue to add to them.

Next time you see an Agfa, Allianz, BMW, Bayer, BASF, Hoechst, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, or VW logo …. spare a thought for the countless millions who died during the holocaust while working as slave labourers for these companies.

(If this is what it takes to become a millionaire/billionaire ….. I’m glad I’m not rich.)