Hitler, the War, and the PopeRevised, Expand Edition

Was Pope Pius XII a Nazi Sympathizer?

A bitter, timeless controversy has raged over the papacy of Pius XII (1939-1958). He is accused of being sympathetic to the Nazis on account of his hatred for Communism, and is seen by some as a less-than-compassionate figure when it came to bringing attention to the plight of the Jews, before and during the Second World War.

As time passes and more official documents become public knowledge, this extensively revised and expanded work is even more entrenched in the truth. Take a journey back in time to fully comprehend the context, the politics, the diplomacy, and the fight for human lives surrounding this tumultuous time in world history.

"In his well-crafted pages ]] the portrait that emerges is one of an extraordinary pastor facing extremely vexing circumstances, of a holy man vying against an evil man, of a human being trying to save the lives of other human beings, of a light shining in the darkness."

John Cardinal O'Connor (1920-2000)

Archbishop of New York (from the Foreword to the first edition)

"I have read many books on Pius XII, and this is by far the most dispassionate in laying out the context, relevant facts, accusations, and evidence pro and con. The book is highly engaging because it is filled with so many little known facts. The research has been prodigious. Yet the presentation is as down-to-earth as it would have to be in a courtroom…. This is a wonderfully realistic book."

Michael Novak

George Frederick Jewett Scholar in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy,

American Enterprise Institute

"Rychlak's careful book, as complete as a lawyer's brief, will prompt readers to re-examine the charges worked into the grain of culture against Pius XII."

Eugene Kennedy

Dallas Morning News (syndicated review)