The Pope at War - The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler

"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"--

About the author

David I. Kertzer is the Paul Dupee, Jr., University Professor of Social Science and professor of anthropology and Italian studies at Brown University, where he formerly served as provost. He is the author of twelve previous books, including The Pope and Mussolini, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, a National Book Award finalist. In 2005 he was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Kertzer and his wife, Susan, live in Rhode Island and Maine.

Summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “The most important book ever written about the Catholic Church and its conduct during World War II.”—Daniel Silva

“Kertzer brings all of his usual detective and narrative skills to [The Pope at War] . . . the most comprehensive account of the Vatican’s relations to the Nazi and fascist regimes before and during the war.”—The Washington Post

“Tolstoyan.”—Cynthia Ozick

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

WINNER OF THE JULIA WARD HOWE AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD • A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

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.”

Additional text

“A magisterial new study of how the Vatican navigated World War II and why Pope Pius XII stayed silent in the face of the mass murder of Jews, The Pope at War is a powerful and carefully argued book based on documents from the newly opened Vatican archives revealing how institutional self-interest dictated the pope's actions.”—Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history and Italian studies, New York University

“In this rigorous and riveting book, David Kertzer uses newly declassified Vatican documents to provide a far fuller portrait of the wartime pope than ever before. Kertzer offers a number of discoveries, including the diplomatic mission of a Nazi prince to the Vatican, showing how Hitler and Mussolini intimidated the pope, who believed there were ‘good fascists.’ The Pope at War is the most authoritative study of Pope Pius XII to date, and Kertzer’s findings will not bolster the cause of those who seek this pope’s canonization but the cause of those who are not afraid of history.”—Jonathan Petropoulos, author of Goering's Man in Paris

“David Kertzer has outdone himself and crowned his extraordinary career with this volume on Pope Pius XII.  Relying especially upon recently released documents at the Vatican Archives, Kertzer writes a simply riveting account with a worldwide cast of characters that includes Mussolini, Hitler, FDR, Churchill, and Eisenhower.  For decades, scholars have wondered if the Vatican archives would contain new findings about the controversial Pope and the Roman Curia, especially in relation to the Jews of Europe during and after the Holocaust. They need wonder no more. This remarkably researched book is replete with revelations that deserve the adjective ‘explosive’—and with so much more. The Pope at War is a masterpiece.”—Kevin Madigan, Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Harvard University

Product details

• Authors: David I Kertzer, David I. Kertzer
• Publisher: Random House USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 07.06.2022
• EAN: 9780812989946
• ISBN: 978-0-8129-8994-6
• No. of pages: 672
• Dimensions: 162 mm x 244 mm x 42 mm
• Subject: Non-fiction book