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During the Holocaust, some members of the Catholic Church were involved in rescuing Jews from persecution in Nazi Germany. They lobbied Axis officials, provided false documents, and hid people in monasteries, convents schools with sympathetic families, and whithin the institutions of the Vatican itself, members of the Catholic Church saved hundreds of thousands of Jews. Israeli diplomat and historian Pinchas Lapide estimated the number saved to be between 700,000 and 860,000, though this figure is highly contested by many historians, who argue that the actual number may be significantly lower.
The Catholic Church itself faced persecution in Nazi Germany. Institutional German Catholic resistance to Nazism centered largely on defending the Church's own rights and institutions. Broader resistance tended to be fragmented and led by individual efforts within Germany, but priests played a part in rescuing Jews in every country under German occupation. Aiding Jews was met with severe consequences and many rescuers and would-be rescuers were killed, such as Saint Maximilian Kolbe.
Pope Pius XII's actions during the Holocaust are still a topic of much debate. Some say he stayed quiet as Jews were being killed in large numbers. Others believe he secretly helped victims through diplomatic efforts and secret actions.