Examines Pius XII's relations with the Jews during WWII and his silence on the allegations of Nazi exterminations.

When Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli became Pope Pius XII in 1939, the Nazis had invaded Austria and Czechoslovakia and were poised to strike Poland. Jews and other minorities were already being sent to concentration camps, and the world was on the verge of another horrific war. The prevailing historical interpretation of the era was that Pius XII had a stated anti-Nazi and anti-Fascist policy; he tried to bring an end to the persecution and gave aid and comfort to those who were persecuted. Revisionist views, however, portray Pius XII as a silent, passive individual who ignored the treatment of Jews, Christians and other minorities--a man who could have stopped the holocaust and didn't. Through a series of articles and essays, the editor and eight contributors critique the works of revisionists who allege that Pius XII was sympathetic to the Nazis or unresistant to their atrocities. The essays discuss the roots of these views in the relentless Nazi and communist propaganda of the era, and the debate's revival after a 1960s stage play portrayed the pope as a leader afraid to speak out. By bringing intellectual rigor and responsibility to the issue, this work makes a solid contribution to the history of the papacy and to the biography of Pius XII.

From the author of the controversial "Pope Pius XII: Architect of Peace" comes her strongest defense of the former pope yet. Fighting revisionist history that has smeared Pius XII's name as anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi, Marchione collects extensive documentation from the war years that paints an entirely different picture.

Contains over 250 historic photographs, sketches and documents portraying the life and works of Pope Pius XII.

In the brutal fight that has raged in recent years over the reputation of Pope Pius XII_leader of the Catholic Church during World War II, the Holocaust, and the early years of the Cold War_the task of defending the Pope has fallen primarily to reviewers. These reviewers formulated a brilliant response to the attack on Pius, but their work was scattered in various newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals_making it nearly impossible for the average reader to gauge the results. In The Pius War, Weekly Standard's Joseph Bottum has joined with Rabbi David G. Dalin to gather a representative and powerful sample of these reviews, deliberately chosen from a wide range of publications. Together with a team of professors, historians, and other experts, the reviewers conclusively investigate the claims attacking Pius XII. The Pius War, and a detailed annotated bibliography that follows, will prove to be a definitive tool for scholars and students_destined to become a major resource for anyone interested in questions of Catholicism, the Holocaust, and World War II.

“Focuses not just on . . . the pope’s response to the Holocaust, but on [his] life and papacy . . . as a whole . . . A refreshingly balanced approach” (Catholic Courier). Written by one of the foremost historians of Pius XII, this present biographical study—unlike the greater part of the vast and growing historiography of Pope Pius XII—is a balanced and nonreactive account of his life and times. Its focus is not on the pope’s silence during the Holocaust, though it does address the issue in a historical and objective framework. This is a biography of the man before and during his papacy. It probes the roots of his traditionalism and legalism, his approach to modernity and reformism in Church and society, and the influences behind his policies and actions. “This book adds a great deal to what we currently know about this most written about pope. The author introduces a number of principles which need to be discussed by experts and also by biographers of this pope, most importantly the concepts of papal impartiality and anti-Judaism as related to Pope Pius XII.” —Charles R. Gallagher, S.J., assistant professor of history, Boston College “It sets up a closer examination and better understanding of Pius XII’s decisions and behaviors dealing with three distinct historically important topics: the Holocaust, the question of Palestine and Israel after World War II, and the Cold War.” —Catholic Books Review “Tries to move away from the controversy and toward a greater and broader focus on the entire life of Pacelli—his formative influences, personal interests, and papacy after the war.” —New Oxford Review

This publication contains historic photographs, sketches and documents portraying the life and works of Pope Pius XII. It captures his role as spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, celebrates his accomplishments and eloquently describes the salient periods of his life by means of humorous anecdotes, historical facts, human interest stories, and revelations on the Holocaust.