Reply #30: How fast can you recover the records requested?

[happyslug]

Remember the Records are in countries like France, Poland, Hungary, Belgium etc. Italy was late at shipping the Jews to the Camps so you have few records in Italy (Through some).

Thus almost all of the records will be in the local Parishes. Most have NOT computerized their lists. This is further complicated by the fact that the parties to the action made an effort to cover up the Jewish background of the children (Remember Nazi antisemitism was NOT religious in nature but on Blood lines thus the mere fact that you had a Jewish Grandfather was enough to send you to the camp, for example Senator Kerry had he been captured by the Nazi would have been sent to the camp for he is a "Jew" as the Nazi's defined "Jew").

Thus you have dispersed records, hand written parish books (Which were NOT Cross referenced) AND a deliberate policy of covering up any evidence the Jewish background of a child (To protect the Child from the Nazis) two months to get the "Records" is insufficient time. It may take years for any records to be found.

My point is it is simply unreasonable to ask the Church for these records and than two months later say the Church is slow at providing the records. I suspect Grandstanding for the better approach would be to set up a committee to look at the records at the Parish level and once the Committee is set up and adopted a methodology on the search contact the Vatican on assistance on looking at the Church's Records from 1940-1946. If the Church than refuses to co-operate than the critics of the Church could show the Church is the one being unreasonable. Two months is not even enough time to start the process on HOW to look at the Records, What records one has to look at (and what records one does NOT get to look at), get co-operation not only of the Vatican but the Various Bishops of the Countries where most of such adoptions occurred etc.

If these speakers really wanted to address this issue that is what they be doing instead of grandstanding about how bad is the Vatican. The Vatican may be bad but at least give the Vatican a Chance to show its refusal is based on fear instead of impossibility.