The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler
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- Author：David I. Kertzer
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Summary
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Based on newly opened Vatican archives， a groundbreaking， explosive， and riveting book about Pope Pius XII and his actions during World War II， including how he responded to the Holocaust， by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Pope and Mussolini
"Splendid 。 。 。 The Pope at War ends much of the debate about the pope and surely makes any lingering apologia for his stance implausible。"--Ian Kershaw， author of Hitler: A Biography
When Pope Pius XII died in 1958， his papers were sealed in the Vatican Secret Archives， leaving unanswered questions about what he knew and did during World War II。 Those questions have only grown and festered， making Pius XII one of the most controversial popes in Church history， especially now as the Vatican prepares to canonize him。
In 2020， Pius XII's archives were finally opened， and David I。 Kertzer--widely recognized as one of the world's leading Vatican scholars--has been mining this new material ever since， revealing how the pope came to set aside moral leadership in order to preserve his church's power。
Based on thousands of never-before-seen documents not only from the Vatican， but from archives in Italy， Germany， France， Britain， and the United States， The Pope at War paints a new， dramatic portrait of what the pope did and did not do as war enveloped the continent and as the Nazis began their systematic mass murder of Europe's Jews。 The book clears away the myths and sheer falsehoods surrounding the pope's actions from 1939 to 1945， showing why the pope repeatedly bent to the wills of Hitler and Mussolini。
Just as Kertzer's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Pope and Mussolini became the definitive book on Pope Pius XI and the Fascist regime， The Pope at War is destined to become the most influential account of his successor， Pius XII， and his relations with Mussolini and Hitler。 Kertzer shows why no full understanding of the course of World War II is complete without knowledge of the dramatic， behind-the-scenes role played by the pope。 "This remarkably researched book is replete with revelations that deserve the adjective 'explosive， '" says Kevin Madigan， Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard University。 "The Pope at War is a masterpiece。"
"Splendid 。 。 。 The Pope at War ends much of the debate about the pope and surely makes any lingering apologia for his stance implausible。"--Ian Kershaw， author of Hitler: A Biography
When Pope Pius XII died in 1958， his papers were sealed in the Vatican Secret Archives， leaving unanswered questions about what he knew and did during World War II。 Those questions have only grown and festered， making Pius XII one of the most controversial popes in Church history， especially now as the Vatican prepares to canonize him。
In 2020， Pius XII's archives were finally opened， and David I。 Kertzer--widely recognized as one of the world's leading Vatican scholars--has been mining this new material ever since， revealing how the pope came to set aside moral leadership in order to preserve his church's power。
Based on thousands of never-before-seen documents not only from the Vatican， but from archives in Italy， Germany， France， Britain， and the United States， The Pope at War paints a new， dramatic portrait of what the pope did and did not do as war enveloped the continent and as the Nazis began their systematic mass murder of Europe's Jews。 The book clears away the myths and sheer falsehoods surrounding the pope's actions from 1939 to 1945， showing why the pope repeatedly bent to the wills of Hitler and Mussolini。
Just as Kertzer's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Pope and Mussolini became the definitive book on Pope Pius XI and the Fascist regime， The Pope at War is destined to become the most influential account of his successor， Pius XII， and his relations with Mussolini and Hitler。 Kertzer shows why no full understanding of the course of World War II is complete without knowledge of the dramatic， behind-the-scenes role played by the pope。 "This remarkably researched book is replete with revelations that deserve the adjective 'explosive， '" says Kevin Madigan， Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard University。 "The Pope at War is a masterpiece。"
Reviews
Fernando Trejo
，
Muy interesante。 La toma de decisiones y las implicaciones políticas del Vaticano explicadas y analizadas。 Una visión diferente de la II guerra mundial
Steven Z。
，
For many， one of the most polarizing figures of the Second World War was Pope Pius XII。 Up until 2019 the Vatican archives did not allow access to most of the documents related to Pius XII’s actions before and during the war。 Under the current leadership of Pope Francis， the archive has been made available to historians and has brought about a reassessment of Pius XII’s relationship with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in addition to his attitude toward the Holocau For many， one of the most polarizing figures of the Second World War was Pope Pius XII。 Up until 2019 the Vatican archives did not allow access to most of the documents related to Pius XII’s actions before and during the war。 Under the current leadership of Pope Francis， the archive has been made available to historians and has brought about a reassessment of Pius XII’s relationship with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in addition to his attitude toward the Holocaust。 Until the opening of the archive， historians were of two minds; either Pius XII was too close to Mussolini and Hitler and did not confront them publicly concerning their murderous atrocities and said and did little in relation to the genocide of European Jewry or he did as much as he could in balancing the protection of the Catholic clergy in Germany and working behind the scenes to assist Europe’s Jews。 It is understood that Pius XII was in a very difficult position and Pulitzer Prize winning historian， David I。 Kertzer， the author of THE POPE AND MUSSOLINI: THE SECRET HISTORY OF PIUS XI AND THE RISE OF FASCISM IN EUROPE has availed himself of the opportunity to consult newly released documentation and has written what should be considered the definitive source in dealing with Pius XII in his latest work， THE POPE AT WAR: THE SECRET HISTORY OF PIUS XII， MUSSOLINI， AND HITLER。 Kertzer’s book documents the private decision-making that led Pope Pius XII to stay essentially silent about Hitler’s genocide and argues that the Pope’s impact on the war is underestimated – and not in a positive fashion。 As David M。 Shribman writes in the Boston Globe， for Pius XII “silence was easier， safer， more prudent。 Silence was deadly。”*Kertzer’s presentation is excellent as it is grounded in his previous research and his recent access to the newly opened Vatican archive。 The book is clearly written and tells a story that many have heard before， however it is cogently argued， and he has unearthed new material which may change or reinforce deeply held opinions by many when it comes to Pius XII。 Kertzer makes the case that Pius XII’s obsessive fear of Communism， his belief that the Germans would win the war， and his goal of protecting church interests motivated him to avoid angering Mussolini and Hitler。 The Pope was also concerned as the book highlights， that opposing Hitler would alienate millions of German Catholics。Kertzer does an excellent job tracing Pius XII’s relationship with Mussolini; the evolution of Italy’s military failures which negatively impacted Hitler’s plans， i。e。; Italy’s failed invasion of Greece; and Hitler’s growing dissatisfaction with Mussolini。 Kertzer relies heavily on the comments and diaries associated with foreign ambassadors to the Vatican， particularly those of England and France and their negative commentary related to the Papacy。 The descriptions of these ambassadors focused on Pius XII’s lack of action， periodic support for the war effort in Italy， and obsession with German power。 Further， Kertzer focuses on Pius XI’s opposition to Mussolini’s adoption of racial laws targeting Italian Jews。 Despite this opposition， Pius XII would not comment on the increase in Italy’s oppression of Jews and racial laws in general。Pius XII’s predecessor， Pius XI had been somewhat of a thorn in the side of fascist dictators。 He saw Mussolini as a “buffoon，” and believed that Hitler was a danger to all of Europe。 Both dictators feared he was preparing an encyclical denouncing Nazi racism and anti-Semitism and feared that the Vatican Secretary of State， Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli who would succeed him as Pontiff would try and talk him out of it， as well as any other anti-fascist comments。 When he died a few days before he could release his encyclical， Mussolini and Hitler experienced a great deal of relief。Kertzer correctly points out that Mussolini never felt comfortable around priests and complained bitterly about Pius XI barbs。 He was worried as he was aware that Hitler viewed him as a role model and did not want the Pope’s commentary to ruin their relationship。 Once Pius XI died and was replaced by Cardinal Pacelli criticism was reduced and if any were made it was done in private。 Hitler’s main complaint concerned articles in the Vatican’s daily newspaper， Osservatore Romano that focused on Nazi anti-Catholic policies from arresting and beating Catholic priests to closing Catholic schools in Germany。 Pius XII immediately made overtures to Hitler to relax the pressure on German Catholicism and refused to comment publicly on Hitler’s seizure of Czechoslovakia in March 1939， in addition to remaining quiet as Hitler’s pressure on Catholic Poland over Danzig escalated。Mussolini resented Pius XII’s diplomacy as his ego would not allow anyone to detract from his role as the dominant figure in Italian politics。 Kertzer’s comments concerning Mussolini， his son-in-law Count Galeazzo Ciano， the Italian Foreign Minister， Joachim von Ribbentrop， the Nazi Foreign Minister， and countless other figures is insightful and at times entertaining， but it does not detract from the danger and derangement of these individuals。In a very important chapter， Kertzer provides details of secret meetings between the Papacy and Germany before and after the war began。 The conduit for Germany was Prince Philip von Hessen whose goal was to bring about an accommodation with the Papacy and keep the Pope out of politics。 Hitler resented the clergy’s meddling in German domestic politics and wanted the Pope to refrain from comments on Nazi racial policy。 Pius XII’s， his main goal was to protect the German clergy and Catholicism in general， but he expressed the belief that an honorable religious peace was achievable， and in all instances talks should be held in secret。Once the war began Pius XII refused to break his silence concerning Nazi aggression arguing he would not endanger the church’s situation in Germany。 This argument was repeated throughout the war， but he promised he would pray for the Polish people or whatever nationality was endangered by a Nazi onslaught。 Morality， rights， honor， justice were always met with methods， practicality， tradition， and statistics on the part of the Vatican。 When priests were sent to concentration camps Pius XII did nothing， no statements， no audiences with the Pope in Rome etc。 The only diplomacy Pius II seemed to engage in was to try and talk Mussolini out of following in Hitler’s footsteps as it was clear， even to Il Duce， that Italy was totally unprepared for war。One could argue that Pope Pius XII evolved in his approach toward fascism and the war。 At first， at least up to 1943 he waffled between neutrality and making general statements structured “as not to be offensive by either side。” At first the Papacy believed the Germans would win the war and once it was concluded Pius XII was convinced that in a few years the anti-Catholic policies would dissipate and fade away。 As the war progressed and when it was clear that the Russians had broken out of Stalingrad and made their way westward， and that the United States and England would invade Italy， Pius XII’s attitude shifted。 Pius XII priority was to prevent allied bombing of Rome and Vatican City （particularly as England was bombing Turin， Milan， and Genoa） which led to messages to President Franklin D。 Roosevelt who responded with a demand that Mussolini be replaced， and Italy should drop out of the war。 Pius XII’s other priority was to warn allied leaders （apart from Stalin） that Communism was as large a threat to Europe as Nazism， and he worked to manufacture a peace agreement with the US and England and organize in response to the Soviet threat to all European Catholics。 As to the Holocaust， Pius XII received increasing numbers of reports of Nazi atrocities and extermination camps。 This information came from reliable sources and churchmen like Father Scavini， an Italian military chaplain that the Pope had great faith in。 However， Pius XII refused to publish details contained in these reports to stay on the good side of Hitler and Mussolini。 The only area that the Pope did complain about to the German and Italian governments was the application of racial laws to those he considered Catholics – baptized Jews and the children of mixed marriages。 Pius XII accepted advice that there was no confirmation of Nazi atrocities and was told not to even use the word， “Jew。” In relation to the Vatican’s attitude toward the roundup of Italian Jews right under their noses provoked little response as Kertzer quotes Lutz Klinkhammer， the foremost historian of Germany’s military occupation of Italy， “it is more than clear that all their efforts were aimed above all at saving the baptized or the ‘half-born’ from mixed marriages，” the Jews who did not fit this category would wind up dying at Auschwitz。Pius XII’s actions are clear even when he was approached to try and mitigate the actions of Roman Catholic priest Jozef Tiso， the head of the Slovakian government who was about to send 20，000 Jews to Polish concentration camps。 When a move was made to try and send 1000 Jewish children to Palestine， Pius XII did little to facilitate this plan as he was anti-Zionist and he argued that he held little sway with the Nazis and their minions and any Papal criticism risked provoking a backlash against the church in German occupied Europe。 No matter the circumstances Kertzer’s conclusions that Pius XII’s messaging was always weak and vague to protect the church’s interests。Pius XII’s silence and overall inaction emerges as the dominant theme of Kertzer’s work。 It is clear that any other conclusion is a result of Church propaganda， obfuscation， and analysis that conveniently avoids the facts。 Kertzer’s work is to be commended as it should put to bed once and for all the truth concerning Pius XII’s role during World War II。*David M。 Shribman， “A Deadly Silence: Assessing the Moral Failings of Pope Pius XII during World War II，” Boston Globe，” May 26， 2022。 。。。more
Paul Gelman
，
This is another excellent book by Professor Kertzer， and this time he was lucky to get access to the archives of the papers witheld so far by the Vatican。 Pius the 12th was and is GUILTY of being ，as John Cornwell's book's title said in the past ，"Hitler's Pope'。 Not only this， but Pius 12 should be regarded as one of the most terrible popes ， one who has condoned and supported almost totally another brutal dictator， namely Mussolini。 Although the author makes a distiction between Pius' moral an This is another excellent book by Professor Kertzer， and this time he was lucky to get access to the archives of the papers witheld so far by the Vatican。 Pius the 12th was and is GUILTY of being ，as John Cornwell's book's title said in the past ，"Hitler's Pope'。 Not only this， but Pius 12 should be regarded as one of the most terrible popes ， one who has condoned and supported almost totally another brutal dictator， namely Mussolini。 Although the author makes a distiction between Pius' moral and spiritual leader， and his conclusion is NOT mine， after having read his brilliant book， I came to the same conclusion t of mine which has never changed ， namely that hat Pius 12 was a collaborator of Hitler and Mussolini and nothing will absolve him of this infamy。 But shoud one be surprised？ After all， the history of the Catholic Church is full of atrocious crimes， and， with the exception of a few popes， all of them were corrupt， rotten and ludicrous in their abyssmal behaviour and attitudes throughout all the centuries the Vatican has been in existence。 。。。more
Dennis Hogan
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Finished The Pope At War: Secret History of Pius XII， Mussolini， and Hitler， the current book by David L Kertzer， Professor of Social Science， Professor of Anthropology， and Professor of Italian Studies at Brown University and winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe。 This new book is brilliant and was made possible by the opening of the Pope Pius XII war time files by Pope Francis。 It has been supposed that Piu Finished The Pope At War: Secret History of Pius XII， Mussolini， and Hitler， the current book by David L Kertzer， Professor of Social Science， Professor of Anthropology， and Professor of Italian Studies at Brown University and winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe。 This new book is brilliant and was made possible by the opening of the Pope Pius XII war time files by Pope Francis。 It has been supposed that Pius acted heroically in fighting a difficult battle on behalf of Jews and justice with Italy and Germany throughout the war， sadly this books reveals he dd not。 While many heroic figures， Christian and non Christians tried valiantly to save Jews from extermination， the Catholic Church and its Pope did not。 I’m still processing disappointment。 。。。more
Karina Pineda
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Eye-opening narrative of an individual that had an incredible amount of power， and who could've changed the fate for so many people that died， but chose not to out of fear。 This man was not brave， he was a wimp。 This sort of behavior would've never been tolerated in today's age。 I want to believe that Pope Francis would've never stayed docile had this happened now。 Though， I admit， that may just be wishful thinking。 I appreciate the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC。 I Eye-opening narrative of an individual that had an incredible amount of power， and who could've changed the fate for so many people that died， but chose not to out of fear。 This man was not brave， he was a wimp。 This sort of behavior would've never been tolerated in today's age。 I want to believe that Pope Francis would've never stayed docile had this happened now。 Though， I admit， that may just be wishful thinking。 I appreciate the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC。 I would've given 5 stars had the length not been so long。 I think the book could've been shorten to less than 300 pages （content-wise）。 。。。more
Wendy
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"Splendid 。 。 。 The Pope at War ends much of the debate about the pope and surely makes any lingering apologia for his stance implausible。"--Ian Kershaw， author of Hitler: A BiographyThe Roman Catholic Church is a fascist institution that has collaborated with fascist governments throughout history as a quid pro quo so that the interests of the Catholic Church be protected。 No argument from me， someone raised as a Catholic who learned this truth from the inside。 Mr。 Kertzer has used the newly op "Splendid 。 。 。 The Pope at War ends much of the debate about the pope and surely makes any lingering apologia for his stance implausible。"--Ian Kershaw， author of Hitler: A BiographyThe Roman Catholic Church is a fascist institution that has collaborated with fascist governments throughout history as a quid pro quo so that the interests of the Catholic Church be protected。 No argument from me， someone raised as a Catholic who learned this truth from the inside。 Mr。 Kertzer has used the newly opened Vatican Archives to provide evidence that is irrefutable;Pius X11 worked with Fascist and Nazi governments before and during WW2 in order to protect the Church in Europe。 Even when minorities; Jews， Roma， and gays were ostracized as "inferior" to Aryans and killed in their millions in concentration camps， clergy tortured， and churches looted， Pius XII continued his conciliatory approach to Hitler and Mussolini。I love this kind of book。 "The emperor has no clothes！"。 Say it Loud， Say it Proud。Kertzer does a great job。 Using the Vatican Archives， he exposes the secrecy and hypocrisy that masquerade as Christianity， he details how the church leadership has protected pedophile priests and colluded with Fascists。 Pope Pius XII set aside moral leadership for expediency and survival。 His actions jeopardize any claim the Catholic Church might want to make to any spiritual and moral high ground。 Pope Pius XII was undeniably a collaborator， a hypocrite， and responsible for unbearable suffering。 Reading about his actions made me nauseous。 These were repulsive， sycophantic parasites。 This book was not "explosive" for ME but it is important to have it in the public domain。Recommended for anyone who can stomach it and are still undecided about Pope Pius XII and his role in WW2。 。。。more
Keith Good
，
Using newly-unsealed documents from the Vatican Archives， as well as myriad other sources， Kertzer unleashes a blazing rebuke of Pope Pius XII’s complete moral dereliction during World War 2。 More concerned with protecting Vatican interests than human lives， Pius XII cozied up to Mussolini， falsely claimed ignorance regarding Hitler and the Holocaust （even as it’s perpetrators claimed to be acting as Catholics） and often actively worked to declaim Allied efforts against the Axis。
Wilson Warren
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It was a great narrative overall but in the end appallingly weak in conclusion。 I had such high hopes for someone to finally call them out but it was the same thing again。
John Liston
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Well researched and insightful read that sheds new light on the Vatican during WWII。 Older WWII books often vary in their treatment of the Vatican during this period and this book draws directly on Vatican papers to settle a lot of those questions。
Susan
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Even though we suspected some of the actions of Pope Pius XII during WWII， to have proof makes this a tough book to read。 David Kertzer is the foremost authority on the Vatican and has delved into the recently unsealed files of Pope Pius XII。 The information sheds light on the choices made by the church， choices that favored the power of the church and didn't do much to save lives。 Not so hard to understand if one accepts that the RC church is a powerful business without all that much regard for Even though we suspected some of the actions of Pope Pius XII during WWII， to have proof makes this a tough book to read。 David Kertzer is the foremost authority on the Vatican and has delved into the recently unsealed files of Pope Pius XII。 The information sheds light on the choices made by the church， choices that favored the power of the church and didn't do much to save lives。 Not so hard to understand if one accepts that the RC church is a powerful business without all that much regard for the people who follow its teachings。 I'm glad I read it but it was unsettling to say the least。 I had to consume it in small batches in order to absorb the information。 My thanks to the publisher Random House and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Nancy
，
Pope Pius XII and WWIIWhen Pope Pius XII died in 1958 his archives were sealed。 Now they have been opened and the picture they paint of Pius’ actions during WWII is not a pretty one。 Although Jews were being killed and harassed by Hitler’s forces in Germany and Mussolini's in Italy， Pius XII apparently believed that his primary role was to protect his flock of Catholics and turn a blind eye to the atrocities。 Kertzer， one of the leading scholars on the Vatican， has spent years going through the Pope Pius XII and WWIIWhen Pope Pius XII died in 1958 his archives were sealed。 Now they have been opened and the picture they paint of Pius’ actions during WWII is not a pretty one。 Although Jews were being killed and harassed by Hitler’s forces in Germany and Mussolini's in Italy， Pius XII apparently believed that his primary role was to protect his flock of Catholics and turn a blind eye to the atrocities。 Kertzer， one of the leading scholars on the Vatican， has spent years going through the thousands of pages documenting Pius XIIths time as pope。 I believe Kertzer tries to be fair throughout the book， but it is not a pretty story。 Pius comes across as a man weak both morally and in physical courage。 He somehow seemed to believe that if he saved the power of Catholicism he would have a role in rebuilding the world after the war。 The book is extremely well done and very readable。 It’s a long book， but I didn’t notice that。 The story is intriguing and well-told。 If anything， the book seemed almost too short。 The story has a huge cast of characters， but because most of us are familiar with the actors in WWII， it wasn’t hard to follow。 If you’re a WWII buff， or just fascinated by one of the facets of the history of the Catholic church， this is an excellent book。 I highly recommend it。 I received this book from Random House for this review。 。。。more
Jerry
，
Full Disclosure: my significant other is a distant cousin of Pope Pius XII / Eugenio Pacelli。David Kertzer's newest work， the Pope at War， is a riveting account of Pius XII's actions during the second world war。 It's a testimony to the author's skill that a book that could be categorized as 'diplomatic history' can make for propulsive reading。Sadly， Pius XII's actions and inactions during the conflict reveal a pontiff who lacked the moral courage of his immediate predecessor （Pius XI）。 Upon asce Full Disclosure: my significant other is a distant cousin of Pope Pius XII / Eugenio Pacelli。David Kertzer's newest work， the Pope at War， is a riveting account of Pius XII's actions during the second world war。 It's a testimony to the author's skill that a book that could be categorized as 'diplomatic history' can make for propulsive reading。Sadly， Pius XII's actions and inactions during the conflict reveal a pontiff who lacked the moral courage of his immediate predecessor （Pius XI）。 Upon ascending to the papacy， one of Pius XII's first actions was to cancel a statement condemning racism and antisemitism that his predecessor had prepared just prior to his death。 Pius XII exhibited a moral sense that seems， in retrospect， to be utterly miscalibrated: Pius XII issued no explicit condemnation of the horrors of fascism that raged around him while simultaneously unleashing his vitriol against sexual promiscuity and finding the time to ask American president Franklin D。 Roosevelt to refrain from sending African-American troops to Italy as part of the planned Allied invasion of the peninsula。Kertzer's commitment to nuance makes the portrait of Pius XII- some of it based on newly-opened Vatican archives- even more devastating。 Pacelli is shown to be very concerned with the preservation of Italian churches and tried to obtain an 'open city' declaration for Rome， but he had no public reaction to the widespread persecution of Catholic clergy in Poland。 Likewise， Pacelli realized that neither Hitler nor Mussolini were observant Catholics， but he refrained from excommunicating either of these men and entered into a symbiotic relationship with Mussolini。 But perhaps most damningly， Pacelli never objected to the deportation of （non-Christian） Jewish people to death camps in Italy or elsewhere but expended a lot of effort to protect Jews who had converted to Catholicism。David Kertzer's sad but compelling and illuminating work is highly recommended to anyone with an interest in this period and the actions/inactions of Pope Pius XII。 。。。more
Ira Smith
，
Pope Pius XII has been a controversial figure since the end of WW2， seen as either the Pope who saved the Church from the Nazis， or one of moral failings for not condemning the Nazi atrocities， including the Holocaust。 Pius XII’s archives were sealed after his death， compounding the issue。 Pope Francis recently unsealed these records， and Mr。 Kertzer had the opportunity to research these archives。What emerges is an unflattering portrait of Pius XII。 According to the archives， and unbeknownst to Pope Pius XII has been a controversial figure since the end of WW2， seen as either the Pope who saved the Church from the Nazis， or one of moral failings for not condemning the Nazi atrocities， including the Holocaust。 Pius XII’s archives were sealed after his death， compounding the issue。 Pope Francis recently unsealed these records， and Mr。 Kertzer had the opportunity to research these archives。What emerges is an unflattering portrait of Pius XII。 According to the archives， and unbeknownst to historians， he entered into a secret agreement with the Nazis， in which he would not criticize them， and in return， the Catholic Church in Germany would be left alone。 This agreement was censored from a Vatican summary of the war years。 Pius XII was also deferential to Mussolini。Pius XII’s failure to condemn atrocities committed against the Jews is also examined at length in the book。 He was only interested in saving those who had converted to Catholicism。 Compounding this were the antisemitic views of many of his advisors， and others advisors who felt that condemning the atrocities would endanger the Church。Incredibly well documented （1/3 of the book is made up of the citations）， The Pope At War is a new look at Pius XII， making for both fascinating and grim reading。My thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this important book。 。。。more
Marsha
，
This meticulously researched book by Pulitzer-prize-winning David Kertzer is definitive on Pope Pius XII's controversial relations with Hitler and Mussolini。 Making extensive use of newly opened archives， there can now be no doubt about the damning moral choices that the Pope made when it came to appeasing Hitler and closing his eyes to the Holocaust。 Apologists might say that he had no choice because communism also posed an existential world threat， plus， it's easy to judge in retrospect。 Howev This meticulously researched book by Pulitzer-prize-winning David Kertzer is definitive on Pope Pius XII's controversial relations with Hitler and Mussolini。 Making extensive use of newly opened archives， there can now be no doubt about the damning moral choices that the Pope made when it came to appeasing Hitler and closing his eyes to the Holocaust。 Apologists might say that he had no choice because communism also posed an existential world threat， plus， it's easy to judge in retrospect。 However， one only has to look at his contemporary， Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky， who was the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church。 Sheptytsky not only spoke out publicly against both communism and Nazism， he hid Jews in his own library。 Pius XII had the choice， but he took the weak way out。 。。。more
Debra Pawlak
，
I was given an advance reading copy （arc） of this book from NetGalley。com in return for a fair review。 Controversy has always surrounded Pope Pius XII for his role during World War II。 Until recently， the Vatican's files concerning the war years were closed。 Pope Francis made them available in 2020。 Author David Kertzer （a Pulitzer Prize Winner） took advantage of this new information and reconstructed the events involving Pope Pius， Mussolini and Hitler。 It was a complex relationship to say the I was given an advance reading copy （arc） of this book from NetGalley。com in return for a fair review。 Controversy has always surrounded Pope Pius XII for his role during World War II。 Until recently， the Vatican's files concerning the war years were closed。 Pope Francis made them available in 2020。 Author David Kertzer （a Pulitzer Prize Winner） took advantage of this new information and reconstructed the events involving Pope Pius， Mussolini and Hitler。 It was a complex relationship to say the least and it's hard to simply judge this Pope for what he did or didn't do。 Unlike his predecessor who spoke out against the Fascists and the Nazis， Pope Pius was obviously intimidated by both the German and Italian leaders。 It seemed he did his best to keep the peace， but at the expense of ignoring the atrocities ordered by Hitler and Mussolini。 It seems that the Pope was initially convinced that Germany would win the war and he definitely wanted to stay on Hitler's （and Mussolini's） good side because of that。 He seemed to think that Facism and Nazism were better than having Communism take over。 He was certainly in a unique position to influence world leaders， which he did not do。 Author Kertzer did a fine job of researching and constructing what happened at the Vatican （and Italy in general） as Hitler rose to power。 There were secret meetings， official letters， and many， many compromises。 I have to admit that sometimes it was hard to read because of the subject matter。 There were a few times that I actually had to put the book down and walk away so I could regroup。 Kertzer's narrative is clear and precise。 I found it very disappointing that the Pope would take a backseat during such turbulent times， but then again， he is not here to defend his lack of action。 So we will never quite understand why he did what he did。 I highly recommend this book for anyone who might be interested in World War II history， Vatican City， or Italy itself。 A very good read。 。。。more
Nancy
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We like to think that our religious leaders are people of faith who are not afraid to speak against worldly powers of oppression and destruction。 We expect a moral vision and example from them， that they will even risk their lives to do the right thing。 You won’t find that leader in these pages。 Pope Pius II was primarily concerned with protecting his flock of Catholics。 He heard the heartbreaking stories of the rounding up and extermination of Jews。 But he would take a stand。 By staying neutral We like to think that our religious leaders are people of faith who are not afraid to speak against worldly powers of oppression and destruction。 We expect a moral vision and example from them， that they will even risk their lives to do the right thing。 You won’t find that leader in these pages。 Pope Pius II was primarily concerned with protecting his flock of Catholics。 He heard the heartbreaking stories of the rounding up and extermination of Jews。 But he would take a stand。 By staying neutral， insisting the church had no political voice， he fantasized being able to broker peace at the end of the war。David I。 Kertzer’s book on Pope Pius XI， The Pope and Mussolini， won the Pulitzer Prize。 At his death in 1939， the outspoken Pope Pius XI was replaced by Pope Pious XII， the preferred choice of Germany， as he had lived in German and spoke the language fluently。 Unlike his predecessor， Pope Pius XII determined to do nothing that would bring repercussions to Catholicism。 He went out of his way to not upset Hitler or Mussolini。 He silenced the Vatican press， insisted the church had no interest in politics， and even preached that heads of state were God-ordained。Pope Pius XII’s archives have been finally opened and Kertzer’s study of thousand of pages of these documents， and other government declassified documents， brought about startling revelations。Mussolini needed the pope and the halo of Catholicism， and the pope cooperated。 H truly believed that the Nazis would win the war and rule Europe。 He didn’t want Catholics to be victims of fascist wrath。Catholic oppressions of Jews was ingrained with practices that kept them separated， impoverished， and unable to exert power。 The Nazis claimed they weren’t really doing anything that the Catholics weren’t already doing。 Somehow， they skipped over the death camps。Perhaps the pope did protect some Catholics from fascist repercussion。 The Polish Catholics pleaded for him to intervene。 His acquiescence allowed Hitler free reign in his crusade of genocide of all Jews。 The pope fought to protect baptized Jews， but remained silent even when the Nazis came for Rome’s own Jewish population。It’s a broad history with a large cast that takes us into the complicated relations between Italy， Germany， and the Vatican。I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley。 My review is fair and unbiased。 。。。more
Steve Bookman
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An essential effort by a meticulous historian。 Kertzer is among the first to review the long-hidden Vatican archives from the Italian Fascist era。 Basically， the impact of this book is to provide conclusive proof of what has long been suspected -- that Pius XII did his best to preserve the institutional strength of the papacy while giving far too little emphasis to basic moral considerations。Author Kertzer successfully avoids the risk of a book on this topic to stand atop a soapbox， and sticks t An essential effort by a meticulous historian。 Kertzer is among the first to review the long-hidden Vatican archives from the Italian Fascist era。 Basically， the impact of this book is to provide conclusive proof of what has long been suspected -- that Pius XII did his best to preserve the institutional strength of the papacy while giving far too little emphasis to basic moral considerations。Author Kertzer successfully avoids the risk of a book on this topic to stand atop a soapbox， and sticks to the tasks of summarizing his extensive research， which largely （devastatingly） speaks for itself。This book reminds the reader that， until the major reforms initiated under the reign of John XXIII 1958-1963， the papacy was a profoundly reactionary and anti semitic organization -- and much of what we read about in this book serves to confirm what thoughtful people had to concede was true all along。。。 。。。more
Lesley
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David Kertzer is a dedicated scholar， gifted writer of many award-winning books， and a man who steps back to see the whole picture in his areas of historical study。 He has spent years in the Vatican archives researching his books but not until 2020 were documents dealing with Popes Pius XI， Pius XII and World War II available; these particular documents had been sealed since 1958 until Pope Francis opened them for scholarly research。 The Pope at War has a lot of pages - about 400 text and 200 no David Kertzer is a dedicated scholar， gifted writer of many award-winning books， and a man who steps back to see the whole picture in his areas of historical study。 He has spent years in the Vatican archives researching his books but not until 2020 were documents dealing with Popes Pius XI， Pius XII and World War II available; these particular documents had been sealed since 1958 until Pope Francis opened them for scholarly research。 The Pope at War has a lot of pages - about 400 text and 200 notes and sources - but it doesn't FEEL like a long book when you read it。 Professor Kertzer has spent so many years researching 20th century （and earlier） Italy， especially the workings of the Catholic Church， that the dramatis personae must seem like living， breathing people to him。 And with his exceptional writing skills， he makes two popes， Hitler， Mussolini， and many other participants in the creation of World War II come to life for the reader of this book。 Kertzer works hard to understand the motivations of these people rather than slap labels and over-simplified analyses on them。 It is excruciating to visit the minds of sociopaths （and the period covered in this book had more than its share） but how and why they make their choices needs to be known when they are the shot callers of history。 Kertzer has studied especially whether the old accusations against Pope Pius XII were/are justified， i。e。 whether he turned a blind eye while millions of Jews were tortured and massacred。 Those who are pushing for the canonization of Pius （ironic name） insist that he did his best to save many Jewish lives。 As Professor Kertzer discovers， this pope worked to save the lives of Jews who had converted to Catholicism， asking Mussolini to treat them as equal to other "Aryan" - his word - Christians。 For some， this may indicate that Pius' apparent lack of concern for Jewish people was not "racial" in origin but rather spiritual。 That is， their religious beliefs and practices made them unworthy of saving by the Catholic church。 This is the stuff of nightmares。 Pope Pius XII hoped to become a "great pope" but rather than accomplishing that by being a great spiritual leader and moral compass in the world， he focused on appeasing Fascists （including Franco） out of fear that the destructive forces running amok in Europe would seize church properties and persecute Catholics， especially the clergy。 He envisaged the end of the Catholic church entirely and thought he could manage tyrants。 Rather， they managed him。 Pius was convinced that Communism was the greatest danger to Christianity。 He believed that Europe's Fascist dictators would prevent Christian Europe from being overrun by Communists。 After all， Hitler was raised Catholic， and Franco and Mussolini were nominally members of the church， and Pius believed for too long that this would anchor them morally。There is so much in this book to contemplate and apply to the present day， particularly， the war against Ukraine。 Its lessons about the use and misuse of power and the abnegation of responsibility will give readers plenty to think about。 。。。more
Patricia Romero
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Pope Pius XII， who died in 1958 and immediately had his archives sealed， probably didn’t think they would come to light in 2020。 For a long period of time， we have wondered about his stance on the war and the people who surrounded the papacy。 As a Roman Catholic myself， I can say he was very controversial。Kertzer， who is one of the world’s leading scholars on the Vatican has been digging around in those archives for a while now。 And he reveals how this pope traded moral leadership of the church Pope Pius XII， who died in 1958 and immediately had his archives sealed， probably didn’t think they would come to light in 2020。 For a long period of time， we have wondered about his stance on the war and the people who surrounded the papacy。 As a Roman Catholic myself， I can say he was very controversial。Kertzer， who is one of the world’s leading scholars on the Vatican has been digging around in those archives for a while now。 And he reveals how this pope traded moral leadership of the church to save its power。It was difficult to read the atrocities and the deals that were made with fascists。 But really haven’t we always known the church always acts in its own best interest？ Not only is the research impeccable， but the facts are also explosive。The amount of research that had to take place is monumental。 I thought it read like historical fiction， but unfortunately， it was not fiction。Outstanding work！NetGalley/ June 7th， 2022 by Random House 。。。more
Brendan Dowd
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The Pope at War is a very tough read but that has everything to do with me being a Catholic and not how well written the book is。There is a lot of debate about Pope Pius XII and his action （or inaction） during World War II particularly in regard to the Holocaust。 While no one would read this book and consider Pius XII very brave， I don’t think this work is a hit job either。 David Kertzer meticulously details all of the politics， considerations， and challenges of being the pope during World War I The Pope at War is a very tough read but that has everything to do with me being a Catholic and not how well written the book is。There is a lot of debate about Pope Pius XII and his action （or inaction） during World War II particularly in regard to the Holocaust。 While no one would read this book and consider Pius XII very brave， I don’t think this work is a hit job either。 David Kertzer meticulously details all of the politics， considerations， and challenges of being the pope during World War II。 Pius XII did not have a love of Hitler， but his coziness with Mussolini alone is enough to sullen his name。 Ultimately， the argument is that Pius XII tried to be a politician when he needed to be a moral leader。This book is very readable even while being heavily sourced。 Kertzer focuses on the things you need to know to understand the situation without bogging down the narrative。 。。。more
David
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This outstanding book is based in part on documents from the archives of the Vatican that were made public in spring of 2020。 Click here for a March 2020 article by author David I。 Kertzer which gives an overview of what controversies the opening of the archive were expected to generate。 Click here for an August 2020 article from the NY Times on Kertzer’s slow progress through the Vatican archives。I say “slow” because （according to The NY Times） the long-anticipated opening of the archives start This outstanding book is based in part on documents from the archives of the Vatican that were made public in spring of 2020。 Click here for a March 2020 article by author David I。 Kertzer which gives an overview of what controversies the opening of the archive were expected to generate。 Click here for an August 2020 article from the NY Times on Kertzer’s slow progress through the Vatican archives。I say “slow” because （according to The NY Times） the long-anticipated opening of the archives started on March 2， 2020， but then was closed again from March 5 until June 2020 due to the pandemic。 They were closed again in August 2020 for summer holidays。 In addition， researchers looking at the physical documents were “limited to asking to see three documents in the morning and two in the afternoon。” The NY Times remarks drily: “It can be slow going。”Normally I don’t write to authors， but maybe I will this time， because I’d love to know exactly how this in-person research at the Vatican archives worked。 First of all， how is a “document” defined？ From my days long ago in a large government bureaucracy which will remain nameless， the experience was that any document request was something of a crap-shoot， in the sense that it could yield anything from a single paragraph to a giant pile of rodent-chewed papers tied together with a string。 Do you have any information that allows you to game the system， meaning， do you know how big your requested document is likely to be？ If your three documents turn out to all be one side of a page， do you just take the rest of the morning off and start your three-hour Roman lunch early？ If you are not careful in this case， you will not be in any condition to receive your two afternoon documents。 On the other hand， what if you get a giant pile of musty， stained meeting notes just before you are planning to go off and enjoy an excellent bottle of wine with your pasta marinara？Discussing this with the Long-Suffering Wife （LSW）， we imagined the process of requesting Vatican documents as hopelessly dusty and analog， wherein you must must scrawl with a stub of a pencil on a tiny slip of paper， which is then taken by an unhappy-looking man in priestly garb， who then trudges silently away， leaving no clue as to when， if ever， he is likely to return with your document。 （Except for the priestly garb， this is pretty much the way it was at the Boston Public Library in the early 1980’s， a time of undergraduate research for self and LSW。 The desk where you requested documents had a home-made sign designed to inform you of the estimated wait time for your document， which was usually， in my memory， set to the symbol for “infinity”。）（Oh， and although the Vatican has made documents available for inspection， the archive of the Jesuit order and the archive of the local church authorities in Rome are still closed， which may hold important information， with no indication that they will be open any time soon。）Maybe the whole process was not as slow-moving as I imagined， because now， in 2022， Kertzer has managed to combine a lot of newly-available documents with previous research to produce a narrative of Papal behavior during WWII which is， to put it mildly， not flattering。 It’s almost impossible to exaggerate how bad Pope Pius XII and his administration look in this version of events。 Although men of at least above-average education， they whole-heartedly buy into the lamest and silliest anti-Semitic stereotypes on the one hand， and suck up to anyone they consider an aristocrat， no matter how oleaginous， hypocritical and ill-mannered， on the other。 They are completely unconcerned with the lives of non-Catholics and put a priority on the protection of church property。 Requests to speak out against the Nazis are met with mumbled promises to consider taking action， but no action follows。 Self-preservation of the organization is the only imperative。 The Vatican won’t even defend its own priests against Nazi and Fascist cruelty， earlier in Poland and later in Italy。 Occasional ambiguous statements buried deep in incomprehensible sermons and articles are pointed to， post-facto， as evidence of great moral courage， even if the statements did not change the behavior of anyone at the time the communications were made。 The hypocrisy marches on and on， often driven by institutional self-pity and the unshakeable conviction that the Catholic Church has a monopoly on the correct interpretation of both past and present。 Late in the book， the author says he is engaged （with an Italian colleague） in a “larger research project of which this book is one product”。 I hope this means that they are still at it， five documents a day （not including holidays and pandemics）， and that further books as interesting as this one will be forthcoming。In conclusion: An excellent book， sometimes galloping along at the pace of a good historical novel， always easy to read for a serious historical narrative， seemingly well-researched， clear and unambiguous in its conclusions。Read an interesting article here by Kertzer about some research from the Vatican archives about an episode in France in 1953 （and therefore not covered in this book） where the Vatican attempted to obstruct the return of Jewish children （who had been baptized as Catholics during World War II） to their surviving relatives。 It was published in The Atlantic in August 2020。I received a free electronic advance copy of this book for review from Penguin Random House via Netgalley。 Thanks。 。。。more
Kristjan
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“ The world suffers a lot。 Not because of the violence of bad people， but because of the silence of the good people。 ” — NapoleonThis was a very difficult book to read， partly because of the considerable outrage at the unbelievable evil conduct of the Nazi and Fascist regimes， but mostly anger and shame at the silence from communities with whom I still have ethnic and religious connections。 The book itself is very well written and organized into four （4） parts: Pre War， Early War （Axis favored t “ The world suffers a lot。 Not because of the violence of bad people， but because of the silence of the good people。 ” — NapoleonThis was a very difficult book to read， partly because of the considerable outrage at the unbelievable evil conduct of the Nazi and Fascist regimes， but mostly anger and shame at the silence from communities with whom I still have ethnic and religious connections。 The book itself is very well written and organized into four （4） parts: Pre War， Early War （Axis favored to win）， Mid War （Toss Up） and Late War/End （Allies favored to win）。 The book is also pretty big， with over 400 pages of content and 200 pages of citations … so it is not a quick read。 Most of the book covered behind the scenes maneuver and machinations that puts the Pope and the Church is a very unfavorable light; however， unlike Cornwell’s “Hitler’s Pope”， Kertzer seems to recognize that Pius XII （and the Church） was a product of the times and cuts him some slack with regard to current mores。 Unfortunately， that still leaves a flawed man who obviously struggled between hubris and fear， and who was willing to throw pretty much anybody under the bus to save his institution and his own skin。 Ultimately we see a man who， despite the august nature of his calling， was focused more on being a good politician/diplomat and not so much on being a good moral leader。 The jury is still out on the former; I am pretty confident that he failed in the later。 （view spoiler）[Part One - War Clouds- 1 Death of a Pope- 2 The Conclave- 3 Appealing to the Führer- 4 The Peacemaker- 5 “Please do not talk to me about Jews。”- 6 The Nazi Prince- 7 Saving Face- 8 War Begins- 9 The Prince Returns- 10 A Papal Curse- 11 Man of Steel- 12 A Problematic VisitorPart Two - On the Path to Axis Victory- 13 An Inopportune Time- 14 An Honorable Death- 15 A Short War- 16 Surveillance- 17 The Feckless Ally- 18 The Geek Fiasco- 19 A New World Order- 20 Hitler to the Rescue- 21 The Crusade- 22 A New Prince- 23 Best to Say NothingPart Three - Change Fortunes- 24 Escaping Blame- 25 Papal Premiere- 26 Disaster Foretold- 27 A Thorny Problem- 28 An Awkward Request- 29 The Good Nazi- 30 Deposing the Duce- 31 Musical Chairs- 32 BetrayalPart Four - The Sky Turned Black- 33 Fake New- 34 The Pope’s Jews- 35 Baseless Rumors- 36 Treason- 37 A Gratifying Sight- 38 Malevolent Reports- 39 A Gruesome EndEpilogueFinal Thoughts（hide spoiler）]I was given this free advance review copy （ARC） ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review。#ThePopeatWar #NetGalley 。。。more
Rachel
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The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII， Mussolini， and Hitler by David I。 Kertzer is a fascinating look into the role of Pope Pius XII during WWII。 This is the first book that I have read by this author， and it most certainly won’t be the last。 Truly fascinating and eye-opening。 The amount of things that happen behind closed doors is astounding。 The amount of research， time， effort， and passion that the author has placed into this book is beyond impressive and evident with how it is wri The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII， Mussolini， and Hitler by David I。 Kertzer is a fascinating look into the role of Pope Pius XII during WWII。 This is the first book that I have read by this author， and it most certainly won’t be the last。 Truly fascinating and eye-opening。 The amount of things that happen behind closed doors is astounding。 The amount of research， time， effort， and passion that the author has placed into this book is beyond impressive and evident with how it is written， presented， and displayed。 This was nonfiction， but it read as smooth as a fictional novel。 I highly recommend this novel to anyone that is interested in WWII history。 5/5 stars Thank you NG and Random House for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion。I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon， Instagram， and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/7/22。 。。。more
Diane
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