Can sainthood be "diminished?" If a Catholic saint has been proven to standing at the side of God -- passing along mere humans' prayers for God's miraculous intervention in their lives -- can there be a lesser class of worthies?

Rabbi Irwin Kula raises the question now that Pope Benedict XVI has concluded -- from records that the Vatican is still not opening fully to scholars -- that wartime Pope Pius XII showed a life of such heroic virtues that he is worthy of considering for sainthood.

Benedict has said Pius, pope from 1939 to 1958, "spared no effort in intervening" on behalf of the Jews, though in many cases "secretly and silently," according to Religion News Service.

Secretly. Silently. And evidently with little proven effect, say critics complaining about Pius' moral leadership.

Rabbi Irwin Kula, National Center for Jewish Learning and Leadership, while acknowledging the Church's perfect right to its own religious standards, said,

If Pius's sainthood cannot withstand scholars' scrutiny of its own historical records and sainthood can only be gained by maintaining secrets then all the Church will have accomplished in declaring Pius XII a saint is to diminish the category of sainthood in the eyes of millions of people of all faiths.

Do you hear an echo in today's news?

Many people who are urging world religious leaders to speak loudly, clearly, publicly against a bill in Uganda to jail, even execute, homosexuals and punish people for failing to turn in gay friends or family. The arguments for silent diplomatic and religious persuasion have had no impact. Indeed, some Ugandan leaders sneer at it. The bill goes to Parliament next month.

If Pius XII is a moral exemplar, what are the lessons of his life that should be emulated? Can there be "secret" moral leadership? Where's the "leadership" in that?