“Disputes over the role of Pope Pius XII in World War II have been hopelessly mired either in sanctimony or hostility because of gaps in the historical record. David Kertzer’s supremely well-informed analysis of the newly opened Vatican archives now establishes once and for all the massive scale of the pope’s moral failure in the face of Europe’s conflagration and Hitler’s murder of six million Jews. If the faint-hearted pope was no war criminal, he was surely no saint. With Kertzer’s magnum opus, the book on Pius XII is written, the dispute resolved, case closed.” —James Carroll, author of the New York Times bestseller Constantine’s Sword “A thorough exploration of the Vatican archives for the pontificate of Pope Pius XII has long been awaited. David Kertzer’s splendid book now provides it, presenting a plethora of highly unflattering evidence of the pope’s role during the Second World War and his silence regarding the Holocaust. The book 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 “Not many expected the memory of Pope Pius XII’s dealing with Jews during World War II to be sweetened by the recent opening of Vatican Archives from that period. But who could have guessed how sordid the revelations would be? David I. Kertzer has the learning and courage to read the new documents and show what deep slime the Vatican was wading in during Pius XII’s papacy. Brace yourself for a story full of horrors.” —Garry Wills, author of Why I Am a Catholic “In this rigorous and riveting book, David I. 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. The Pope at War is the most authoritative study of Pope Pius XII to date.” —Jonathan Petropoulos, author of Göring’s Man in Paris “David I. Kertzer has outdone himself and crowned his extraordinary career with this volume on Pope Pius XII. He writes a simply riveting account with a worldwide cast of characters that includes Mussolini, Hitler, FDR, Churchill, and Eisenhower. This remarkably researched book is replete with revelations that deserve the adjective ‘explosive’ and with so much more. The book is a masterpiece.” —Kevin Madigan, Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Harvard University “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.” —Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history and Italian studies, New York University
ISBN: 978-0-8129-8994-6
