Sometimes it's easy to judge people for their actions, but you may not know the whole story. It is important to first learn the facts of the situation. Even if you think you know everything there is to know about a certain topic, there is always more to learn. One person to consider is Pope Pius XII, the Vatican pope during the era of World War II and the Holocaust. Although he didn't say much outwardly and publicly, he did things behind the scenes to help the Jews and try to improve the situation. The Pope and the Vatican, being in a position of power, should have acted more during the Holocaust, but the reasons behind his inaction were goodwill and preemptive. We must first look at the apologies presented by the Pope long after the war. Fifty-five years after the end of the Holocaust, Pope John Paul II issued a public apology for the actions of the Catholic Church over the past 2,000 years (PBS). People were unhappy with the Roman Catholic Church's apology after the war because they felt it was not sincere enough (Kertzer). On March 12, 2000, Pope John Paul II said: “(translated) We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who, throughout history, have caused your children to suffer and, in asking for your forgiveness, we wish commit to doing so. a true fraternity with the people of the Alliance” (PBS). The pope did not directly reference the events of the Holocaust, but he made some effort to make amends. Defending the Church Pius XII tried to protect the Catholic Church from further persecution by Hitler and the Nazis. Although it was expected... middle of paper ......BS, March 13, 2000. Web. February 19, 2014.Blet, Pierre, SJ Pius XII and the Second World War: according to the Vatican Archives. New Jersey: Paulist, 1999. Print. Gutman, Israel. Holocaust Encyclopedia. New York: Macmillan Pub., 1990. Print. Kertzer, David I. “A Cautious Apology, But It’s a Start.” Infohio.org. New York Times, March 16, 2000. Web. February 1, 2014. Lang, Ariella. “The Politics and Poetics of the Vatican Discourse on the Holocaust.” Infohio.org. Judaism 207/208.3/4, 2003. Web. January 28, 2014. Oates, Kathryn. “What did the Pope do about the Holocaust.” Infohio.org. Catholic Collection 73.6, 2009. Web. January 28, 2014. Rosenzveig, Charles H. The World Responds to the Holocaust. Ed. David S. Wyman. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1996. Print. Thomas, Gordon. The Pope's Jews: The Vatican's secret plan to save the Jews from the Nazis. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2012. Print.