The question is what did Pope Pius XII do that makes the Catholic Church want to canonize him as a saint? There must be a reason. I'd like to know what it is.

 

Whatever the reason I don't think it has anything to do with the Nazis and the Holocaust. Although his actions, or lack thereof, in that respect would seem to be a negative regarding sainthood. It may take a long time for all facts to be made public.

 

Is a crowd, that stands by and watches a murder and does nothing to stop it, less culpable than the perpetrator? I don't think so.

 

A philosophical question I cannot debate. If one sees a person drowning should they then risk their life to attempt to save the person?

 

The US and the rest of the world stood by and watched the murder of thousands in Rwanda, Cambodia and now Darfur.

 

There must be a reason. I'd like to know what it is

 

My perhaps oversimplistic 'read' is - pure Church politics. The future Paul VI was very much under the wing of Pius XII. From 1939 to 1954 he met with Pius every single morning. During the war years, he drafted almost all the replies for letters written to the Pope. Indeed, observers have said Pius' admiration for Paul was "almost filial".

 

After the death of John XXIII, when Paul reconvened the 2nd Vatican Council he was much criticised by both conservatives and liberals for steering a centrist course. This seems to tie in with his decision to open sainthood proceedings for both his predecessors, preferring not to side with one or the other.

 

Whatever the faults of the older man, Paul clearly admired Pius greatly. Paul is quoted as saying, "The goodness of Pope Pius XII opened to me the opportunity to look into the thoughts even into the soul of this great pontiff. I could quote many details how Pius XII, always using measured and moderate speech, was hiding, nay revealing a noble position of great strength and fearless courage."

 

How that squares with Pius' actions during the war, beats me.