Priests in an Italian town that heroically helped to save Jewsih children during WWII hope that the Pope recognizes their town as an example of followers of true Christian principles.

History: The Quality of Courage

In the end, there were 74 children—Jewish kids, from the ages of 6 to 18, who in 1942 and 1943 fled from Germany, Austria and Yugoslavia as their parents disappeared into the Nazis' concentration camps. With borders closing all over Europe, a Zionist organization smuggled them into northern Italy, to the village of Nonantola, built around a Benedictine monastery. Though Fascist Italy was not a haven, it was as safe as could be found. Their refuge was a large empty house, the Villa Emma, rented for them on the edge of town.

A picture from Villa Emma at the time...



And a poster from a remembrance ceremony earlier this year...



More here, here and here.