| Physical description |
xvi, 333 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-326) and index. |
| Contents |
Eugenio Pacelli : 1900 to 1942 -- The genocides of Polish Catholics and Polish Jews -- Pius XII's 1942 Christmas message : genocide decried -- 1943 : Pius XII reverses course -- Papal capitalism during World War II -- The first Cold War warrior -- The origin of the Vatican ratlines -- Bishop Hudal's ratline -- Looted gold and the Vatican -- Ante Pavelić : war criminal, murderer, and defender of the faith -- The biggest ratline -- An obsession with communism. |
| Summary |
"Two events in 1917 - the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal - fixed the battle lines of the twentieth century in the mind of Eugenio Pacelli, later Pope Pius XII. After Hitler gained power in Germany and another world war loomed, the Vatican believed it had to make a choice. Knowing that Communist ideology would outlast Hitler's racism, both Pius XI and Pius XII reluctantly chose the Nazis as the lesser evil. In the balance, Pius XII accepted the genocide of European Jews." |
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"At the hub of this terrible dilemma, Pius found guidance in the Christian tradition that by crucifying their Messiah the Jews had forfeited their election as the Chosen People. If Christians were God's new elect, it followed that the interests of the Church came before those of the Jews. The crucial test for Pius came with the roundup of the Jews of Rome in October 1943. Pius's efforts to save the Jews were blunted by the Vatican's desire not to set itself against Hitler. When a thousand Roman Jews were put on a train to Auschwitz, Pius did not protest." "In this new book, Michael Phayer, author of The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965, makes use of new material in the U.S. National Archives to shed new light on the actions of the Vatican and of the man whom some have called "Hitler's Pope" while others campaign for his sainthood." |
| Subject |
Pius XII, Pope, 1876-1958 -- Relations with Jews.
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Catholic Church -- Relations -- Judaism.
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Catholic Church -- Foreign relations -- Communist countries.
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Judaism -- Relations -- Christianity.
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Christianity and antisemitism -- History -- 20th century.
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Communism and Christianity -- Catholic Church.
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Cold War -- Religious aspects -- Catholic Church.
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Communist countries -- Foreign relations -- Catholic Church.
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| ISBN |
9780253349309 (cased) £15.99 |
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0253349303 (cased) £15.99 |
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