The Myth of Hitler's Pope: Pope Pius XII and His Secret War Against Nazi Germany

by David G. Dalin

In 1999, John Cornwell excoriated Pope Pius XII as "Hitler's Pope." In this book, Rabbi David G. Dalin provides a ringing defense of the wartime pontiff, arguing that Holocaust-era Jews justly regarded Pius as their protector, not their tormentor.

Genres: History, Catholic, Religion, Nonfiction, World War II, Christianity, Biography

209 pages, Hardcover

First published June 24, 2005

About the author

Rabbi David Gil Dalin is a Conservative rabbi, and author and co-author of several books on Jewish history. He is currently a professor of history and political science at Ave Maria University, and was previously associate professor of American Jewish history at the University of Hartford.

Dalin received a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, a master's and doctorate from Brandeis University, and his Rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Kevin de Ataíde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never am I more proud of the Holy Roman Church as when I read the new descriptions of how HH Pius XII and his army of clerics and lay persons defied the Nazi tyranny and often systematically rescued thousands upon thousands of condemned lives during the Holocaust.



Many thanks to Rabbi Dalin for accumulating in one place the various biographies, factual accounts and testimonies that all the defenders of Pius XII and, indeed, Truth itself constantly require. Tell me about a few thousand pervert priests who abused the trust put in them and I will sing of the several million who proved and prove daily by their actions the astonishing love that they had and still have for the people of God.



A more disturbing element of this book is the chapter on 'Hitler's Mufti.' I was unprepared for the extent of this rather nasty character's involvement in Hitler's implementation of the so-called 'Final Solution' to the 'Jewish problem.' I am already aware of the often childish attitude of the Arab to the Jewish State (no mention is allowed in Arab countries and accounts in encyclopaediae are blacked out with a marker pen), but the preoccupation in these countries with maliciously anti-Jewish books such as Hitler's own biography, Mein Kampf, and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion is almost unreal. Visitors to the Arab countries will be aware of how religious people there are, so that something malicious written about a people their prophet disliked for their opposition of him can very easily reinforce a stereotype and create a hatred of something that is very badly understood. An example is the blood libel that is a recurring subject in the book. How can it be accepted as fact that the Jewish people ritually drain the blood of children as a requirement of their religion? This is manifestly false. But it is taken as true, because men in authority state it. I shake my head in disgust.

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched and documented, Rabbi Dalin recalls how at the end of WWII a Jewish delegation came to the Pope with gratitude, promising that history would not forget his help to Jews in Italy and other countries. His book is an attempt to remember this and refute some of modern attacks to the Pope, which he dismounts by presenting documental evidence.

[Fonch · Rating 5 out of 5]

affectionately dedicated to the Jews to which St. John Paul II affectionately called our elder brothers in the faith.
Ladies and gentlemen, my reviews have been somewhat loose lately, but I hope I can make up for it by writing this review. There has been much talk of this love-hate relationship that exists between Catholics and Jews. However, there has been not so much talk of the Jews, who have been good to us, we must remember the words of Gamaliel by deterring the Sanhedrín from persecuting and carrying out violent actions against the apostles, already in the time of Jesus this was closer to the line of Hillel, jesus Christ also had the support of Nicodemus, who was a secret disciple of Jesus, there was also an affinity with Philon of Alexandria https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and although it is more debatable and has been questioned there are also references with Flavius Josephus https://www.goodreads.com/author/show.... It should be remembered that although St Paul was the Apostle he never renounced his status as a Jew and prided himself on belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, and even if she was annihilated after the takeover of Jerusalem the weight of Christianity closest to Judaism embodied by James the child is undeniable and has bequeathed to us one of the most beautiful epistles of the New Testament by urging charity , good deeds and to fight social inequalities, are increasing and the populist recipes that have supposedly been used to combat them, has only served to enlarge them further and impoverish the population more. It could be said that James the Lesser could be one of the forerunners of distributionism that is so necessary today in the face of liberal capitalism and communist democratic social regimes. Precisely one of the reasons why I believe in God so strongly is precisely because the people and people to which God manifested themselves are still among us, as Jesus said, the wine for israel's stray sheep, although it is true that we benefit from leftovers. Much has been said about Sem's loyalty, but we must also speak of Japheth's loyalty from which the Gentiles come, and there is no doubt that that vision of the Revelation in which there is an countless multitude who have bathed in the blood of the lamb is us. It is true that Jesus himself has harsh words by transferring salvation to other peoples rather than the Jews, but he considered that if they are here with us it is because God nevertheless has some plan for them. This has been said by writers such as Leonardo Castellani, who in his exegetic books on the Apocalypse considered that the creation of the State of Israel a sign does so specifically in "The Rolesof Benjamin Benavides" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... of the consummation of the times, and so does another writer such as Leon Bloy https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1.... It is also no coincidence that writers I have recently read both Anthony Burgess in"The Realm of Reprobos" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... I do not recommend this reading because of his gnosticism, but it should come as no surprise that Robert Graves will also use a Jewish narrator for his novel"King Jesus" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4.... Already at the birth of the Peplum the image of the Jew is presented in the novel of"Fabiola" by Cardinal Nicholas Patrick Wiseman in a very favorable way. It is true that Henryk Sienkiewicz is already tougher on the Jews and makes it these who trigger Nero's persecution against Christians (in this he disagrees Burgess in both Anno Domini,https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... and the Kingdom of The Réprobos you only have to see the treatment that is done of Popea Sabina, which is very favorable, while the author is hostile I would say insulting the figure of Actea unlike Henryk Sienkiewicz and Louis of Wohl in"The Glorious Folly" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... ), however, this is compensated by Sienkiewicz by adding to Alituro the Jewish actor, who is initially hostile to the Jews, but then rejects the persecution and despite their security advocating for them. There has always been talk of the Catholic protector, especially during the Shoa, but it would also be fair to talk about the Jews who have come to the path of slander and defended Christians, as the case of Rabbi David G. Dalin in this work. Another case is that of writer Evelyn Waugh who was labeled anti-Semitic, but one wonders if an allegedly anti-Semitic writer would have written https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... character as beautiful as the Jew Madame Kanyi in "Unconditional Surrender" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... I believe that in the background Waugh had the soul of Oskar Schindler, because in another short account of his also speaks of this. The same can be said of G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc it is true that they were very critical of the Jews, but I will say two things on their behalf, when they had to go out and defend them they defended them and we would have to ask how they treated the Jewish friends they had?, because the treatment was far from bad and they will allow me one thing in the process of beatification of Chesterton there was bad faith on the part of the bishop of the headquarters of G.K. Chesterto , who complained that G.K. Chesterton did not worship him, and as Juan Manuel de Prada says, nor that Charles Foucauld was known before his beatification, and another reason was the author's anti-Semitism. I would say if we do not get into the affairs of other religions, why should other confessions be put in to criticize our own? That they become and then they will be able to have an opinion and I say so in the case of G.K. Chesterton, as in that of the Catholic Queen Elizabeth, whose weakness was not to expel the Jews, but not to have been able to withstand the internal and external pressures to cast them out, because as Don Julio Valdeón Baruque https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... said" The Jews were much loved bythe kings and hated by the people." Even in the case of G.K. Chesterton attributed it in bad faith, and if he had His Holiness Pope Francis would tell him, because I believe there is no interest in presenting a third way against liberal capitalism and communist social democracy, because they know that G.K. Chesterton is his enemy and the New Order is not interested. It is hard to have to express these criticisms, but they are made out of love for the Church from which I am very proud to belong. It would be a constructive critique for the good of the Catholic Church itself, and if my criticisms seem harsh to you read the epistle of the Galatas and the recadito sent by St Paul to St. Peter. I also loved Juan Manuel de Prada's novel"The Seventh Veil" where one of the characters ends up marrying a Jewish https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... (by the way a recommendation to Goodreads would please suggest, to remove Onfray's book from the list of recommendations of the seventh veil. I doubt That Don Juan Manuel De Prada liked to be compared to Onfray, and that it was used to promote this writer's works) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show.... It is also highly recommended to read to writers such as Javier Arias Artacho, who being Catholic most of his novels are seen from the perspective of Jewish characters https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... or Jesús Sánchez Adalid https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...#. Also editor Jon M. Sweeney of Paraclete Press https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://paracletepress.com/collection... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... I agree with this premise. I will not say, it is not necessary, because it is very necessary, since you never know when a wave of anti-Semitism could return. In the same line are Simone Weil, Fabbi and others, but I consider it one thing and that is that we have missed the real villain of the Passion and this is one of the most interesting sections of Rabbi David G. Dalin's book and I would like to complete it. The true genocide, father of lies and who excited the Jews and Gentiles to take down Jesus was the Devil and Mel Gibson was the Devil, as Sherlock Holmes would say that must be the truth. So Jews shouldn't worry. I do not agree very much with the metarelate included in"The Karamazov Brothers" of Fyodor Dostoyevsky https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... this tale of Dostoyevsky has https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... part of truth and another that is not. The real part is that any country would have killed Jesus. What is not true is its conclusion that Catholicism is atheist and bad. That's what the Russian writer is wrong about, especially attacking Spain in particular. But let's get to the worst, that the Jews would have killed Jesus. First there is no sin, no matter how serious it may be that it cannot be forgiven. Well, the satanic pacts may be. But if this were so, the Bible does not say that evil only lasts until the fourth generation. It's been many generations. Jesus' death had an end and was to save humanity from sin, because he was God and he could and because He loves us in a way that we are unable to measure. Precisely for whom he has come the most has been for sinners and those who do not yet know him or believe in him.
Now with all due respect, because I've done a lot of begging, let's talk about this book. I agree with most of the book, but there are other things I disagree with. I agree that it correctly points out the wrong origin and above all this slander that Pius XII comes from different states, but essentially from progressiveism and the left and has a lot of civil war. Because much of the slander against Pius XII comes from liberal Catholics. The history of the Catholic Church I read accuses the Italian communist publication Il Poglio, which was in Stalin's service. What legitimacy does this accusation have, when Stalin is after Mao the greatest genocide of the twentieth century? In addition to a convinced atheist, a compulsive liar and a former seminarist, only because Pius XII's accusation of complicity with Hitler comes from here is hesitation. Second, since officiality and David G. Dalin considers Rolf Hochhuth the author of the"Vicar" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... who was a socialist and was in the service of the Communist Party as the real culprit. However, the worst attacks have come from the so-called liberal Catholics. As Don Juan Manuel de Prada says,"Being Catholic and liberal is like bragging about virginityand at the same time running a brothel." It is curious how many apostates and ex-helprs who have signed these works Carroll, Cornwell, Keshmer who have counted on the blessing of the media and left-wing newspapers to spread their lies, and as Dalin points out despite the Vatican Archive II, the presence of serious historians Ruychlak, Philip Jenkins, Ralph McInnerny https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (to me of course what I would most like is that Mr. McInnerny was translated into Spanish both his neotomist court books and Roger Dowling's detective adventures rather than the morralla of authors with the qwe are surrounded by the editorials included by the progressive writers quoted above by me and who have participated in this fraud and lie on a large scale. Dalin points out that Cornwell even retracted.) It is curious that the Liberals have already rotted the Anglican Church and now they want to end the Catholic faith. It is surprising that no traditional Catholic has supported this lie and that everything comes from liberalism with the exception. of Mr. Goldhagen who is a liberal progressive Jew on the left and as David G. Dalin has pointed out. After denouncing this drift Dalin tells that since Gregory I https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... the documents favorable to the Jews, as Mari Angel has said it is surprising that there are so many. Dalin goes so far as to say, for example, that Rome never expelled the Jews and even pressured other Italian kingdoms and Spain not to take action against them. He mentions the most pro-Jewish popes, in fact, he collects provisions of Clement IV's Innocent IV. He also mentions the Jewish doctors employed by the Popes. He mentions as protector of the Jews a Pope that I love as Martin V, it is true that I do not like both Sixtus IV, nor Alexander VI, but not because of his defense of the Jews, who considered that it was good, but for having contributed to the mundanization of the Church and the relaxation of discipline, although it would have to be rehabilitated on the part of the Black Legend to Alexander VI. He says that Julius II, continued with this work, and that the Popes who defended him the most were the Mediccis Leo X (who was initially chosen for being the most pious and the least corrupted of all, but being Pope he went back to the walks), the same can be said of Clement VII and it is very interesting that I spoke of that Jew of the tribe of Reuben who asked Pope Clement VII to make a crusade to expel the Turks from the Holy Places. Clementes IX, and X, is also very favourable and speaks of a very curious matter of a mission carried out by the future Clement XIV in Poland where the complaints of the Jews were addressed and especially as Benedict XIV heard his pleas. It is possible that many of the Popes mentioned are not the best in history, but in this case what they did was very good and as a Catholic I pride myself. He then resumed the song with Leo XIII, Pius X, Benedict XV, and Pius XI, this being a belligerent enemy of Nazism and fascism despite the concordat of 1929. (continue)

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually 3.5 stars

ENGLISH: This book, written in defense of Pius XII, has been authored by a Jew Rabbi and confronts the attacks of "liberal Catholics" against that Pope. Dalin presents quite convincing arguments, well studied and referenced.

As Dalin himself notices, the attacks against Pius XII are actually a small part of a general attack against Catholicism by left-wing politicians and thinkers. In fact, he links the attacks against Pius XII with those against Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ" and others against John Paul II.

ESPAÑOL: Este libro, escrito en defensa de Pío XII y cuyo autor es un rabino judío, se enfrenta a los ataques de los "católicos liberales" contra ese Papa. Dalin presenta argumentos convincentes, bien estudiados y referenciados.

Como el propio Dalin advierte, los ataques contra Pío XII son en realidad una pequeña parte de un ataque general contra el catolicismo por parte de políticos y pensadores de izquierda. De hecho, Dalin vincula los ataques contra Pío XII con los que se lanzaron contra la película de Mel Gibson "La Pasión de Cristo", así como algunos ataques contra Juan Pablo II.

[Robbie Deacon · Rating 2 out of 5]

EDIT: After some further research, I'm demoting this from 4 to 2 stars. Dalin's sources are inaccurate (he makes heavy reference to Ronald Rychlak, who relies extensively on the highly un-reliable Pinchas Lapide) and he hypocritically does the exact thing he accuses Papal Critics of doing.
Dalin's chapter on the Nazi occupation of Rome is particularly bad. Dalin's big arguments for Pius XII intervening on behalf of Roman Jews - eyewitness testimonies and the 500 Jews supposedly sheltered at Castel Gandolfo - are largely false, and historian Susan Zuccoti shows this quite thoroughly in Under His Very Windows and her chapter in Jews in Italy under Fascist and Nazi Rule. Dalin relies on secondary sources and made-up anecdotes; many of the quotations he provides were made up by Lapide.

Dalin also critiques how authors such as John Cornwell and Garry Wills use the holocaust to further their personal ideological agendas. It is true that Cornwell and others have personal agendas against the Catholic Church that manifest in their writing about Pius XII. Unfortunately, Dalin does the exact same thing when he argues that the real enemy of Jews during WW2 was the Muslim Mufti of Jerusalem, not the Catholic Church. Dalin has a Zionist agenda and has no problem using the debate over Pius XII to score a few points for his side.

If you only read Cornwell's Hitler's Pope, you'll think that Pius XII was a really bad guy. If you only read The Myth of Hitler's Pope, you'll think he was a saint. I recommend you skip both and read the work of professional historians, like Susan Zuccoti or Jacques Kornberg, rather than apologists like Dalin and Cornwell.


[Original Review]
In “The Myth of Hitler’s Pope,” Rabbi David Dalin argues that Pope Pius XII (the pontiff during WW2) was a consistent and unambiguous defender of Jewish interests, and that those who say otherwise are ideologically motivated. Dalin plausibly debunks much of the work of the revisionist movement that argues that Pius XII was “hitler’s pope.” The book’s discussions of modern culture wars and historical Islamic antisemitism are interesting but not entirely relevant to the topic at hand.

This is not a thorough or dispassionate historical work, and while Dalin forcefully presents a wealth of positive evidence in favour of Pius XII, he largely ignores ambiguous and negative evidence that is commonly raised by numerous historians about the topic. Reviewer John Jay Hughes compares this book to a defence lawyer’s argument; John Cornwell, Gary Wills, and James Carroll advocate against Pius XII, while Dalin advocates for him, and he does an admirable job.

As a historical monograph this book is poor, but it is a valuable historiographical corrective against the revisionist school that wants to implicate Pius XII and the Catholic Church in the holocaust.

[Jaime Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enlightening and brief recap of the truth behind the leftist anti-Catholic propaganda that rages against the Roman Church and its leaders. Written by a Jewish rabbi, this non-fiction book recounts the efforts made by the Pope during WWII to save Jews and counter the Nazi machine in Europe. Uncovers the current manipulation of media and leftist Universities to change history to fit their agenda by criminalizing the Pope. If you think you have grievances against the Church, this book will open your eyes to the truth of the Church's love and its mission to all people of the world.

[Fabiola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a Rabbi. I always prefer these 'defense' treatises from people of different faiths or backgrounds. There were many bad bad Popes but this man wasn't one of them and I am so sad his name is continually marred (stupid play). But this isn't just about Pope Pius XII, it is also about the history of the treatment of Jews by the Catholic Church. Something I've never read before and was enthralled by. I MUST read for anybody interested in the subject.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author has two books here: 1 about Pius XII in WWII and 1 about liberal religion, anti-Semitism, and Islam. The parts about defending Pius XII's legacy are pretty convincing, but the parts from the "other book" are less well argued and seem to border on diatribe.

[Tiu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Insanely biased. David Dalin presents half of the presented facts.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book certainly destroys any notion that Pope Pius XII was a participant in the persecution of Jews during World War II. The book is well researched and presents clear evidence that contradicts the notion that the Catholic Church was complicit in Hitler's plans to wipe out European Jews.

[Atchisson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This astoundingly well-researched book is of particular note now that he has been placed on the track to sainthood by Pope Benedict.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading!! Very informative!

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A CONSERVATIVE RABBI DEFENDS THE WWII RECORD OF POPE PIUS XII

Rabbi David G. Dalin is a Conservative Rabbi, as well as professor of History and Political Science at Ave Maria University in Florida; he has also written 'Icon of Evil: Hitler's Mufti and the Rise of Radical Islam,' 'Religion and State in the American Jewish Experience,' 'Making a Life, Building a Community: A History of the Jews of Hartford,' etc.

He wrote in the first chapter of this 2005 book, "The rhetorical campaign against the pope's conduct in World War II ... became a major issue after the 1963 Berlin premiere of a play called The Deputy, written by a young left-wing German writer (and former member of the Hitler Youth)... 'The Deputy' was fictional, highly polemical, and offered no historical evidence. It nevertheless became a sensation...

"Why does this myth persist?... It is important... because the battle over the reputation of Pope Pius XII is one of the most historically important battles of the culture war. An increasingly left-wing intellectual class wants to denigrate not only traditional Catholicism, but Christianity and even Judaism...

The anti-papal polemics of ex-seminarians like Garry Will and John Cornwell (author of 'Hitler's Pope'), or ex-priests like James Carroll, and of other lapsed or angry liberal Catholics exploit the tragedy of the Jewish people during the Holocaust to foster their own political agenda of forcing changes on the Catholic Church today. This hijacking of the Holocaust must be repudiated. The truth about Pope Pius XII... must be restored." (Pg. 2-3)

He points out, "In 1938, at the very time that British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was appeasing Hitler in Munich, Pius XI emerged as one of the few European leaders to unequivocally condemn anti-Semitism... Later that spring, when Hitler made a triumphant entry into Vienna during the Anschluss, Pius XI was furious that the prelate of Austria... rang the bells of the city's churches and flew the Nazi flag...

"When Benito Mussolini 'decked out Rome's street with Nazi swastikas on the occasion of Hitler's state visit in May,' the Pope snubbed Hitler by leaving the city... ailing and with only months to live, Pius XI received a group of Belgian pilgrims... Then he said, '...Anti-Semitism is inadmissible; spiritually, we are all Semites.' ... During the last months of his life, Pope Pius XI continued to condemn the Nazi regime and its anti-Semitic policies." (Pg. 39-40)

He notes, "The Reich Concordat, as the Vatican's 1933 concordat with Nazi Germany has come to be known, is considered one of the most controversial of the twentieth-century Vatican treaties. Critics... claim that it silenced German Catholics who otherwise might have openly opposed Hitler and held him in check. On the contrary... the concordat was a pragmatic and morally defensible measure to protect German Catholics and the relative freedom of the Catholic Church in Germany." (Pg. 59)

He observes, "When Pius XII's revisionist critics attack the pope's 'silence,' they do so while ignoring the fact that Jewish leaders and Catholic bishops in Nazi-occupied countries strongly advised him not to incite the Nazis to further atrocities... The pope had to weigh his words so that he did not jeopardize the lives of the thousands of Jews hidden in the Vatican; in Rome's many churches, convents, and monasteries...

"One might ask what could have been worse than the mass murder of six million Jews. The answer is the slaughter of hundreds of thousands more. Pope Pius XII knew that his words would not stop the Holocaust. He measured his words so as not to risk the lives he could save." (Pg. 80) He adds, "No fewer than three thousand Jews found refuge at... the pope's summer residence... Pope Pius himself granted sanctuary within the walls of the Vatican in Rome to hundreds of thousands of homeless Jews." (Pg. 83)

He argues, "The 'most dangerous' cleric in modern history, to use John Corwell's phrase, was not Pope Pius XII but Hajj Amin al-Husseini, whose anti-Jewish Islamic fundamentalism was a dangerous in World War II as it is today... The grand mufti was the Nazi collaborator par excellence. 'Hitler's mufti' is truth. 'Hitler's Pope' is myth." (Pg. 131)

This book will be "must reading" for anyone studying this controversial area.

[Cole Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabbi David G. Dalin's "The Myth of Hitler’s Pope: How Pope Pius XII Rescued Jews from the Nazis" is a real eye-opener. When I first laid hands on this book, my knowledge about Pope Pius XII was pretty basic. Little did I know that there were so many misconceptions floating around, courtesy of those with an axe to grind against him or the Catholic Church. I initially wondered how a Jewish Rabbi authored this gem; wondering, "Why would a Jewish Rabbi delve into Pope Pius XII's story?" But as I dug into the pages, everything clicked into place. Turns out, Pope Pius XII was a stand-up guy, doing remarkable things for the Jewish community that I had no clue about. The book not only sheds light on his contributions but also highlights other Popes who made significant strides for the Jewish people. This read was a revelation, packed with knowledge and backed by solid evidence—a real winner in my book! 5 out of 5 stars.

[M K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rambling. Was hoping for a better point-by-point rebuttal of Cornwell's book but it was mainly defensive of the Church (capital C), with large portions of it unrelated to Cornwell's. In other words... it mainly preaches to the choir, and I'm in the choir.

Instead, just check the Wikipedia page for "Hitler's Pope" and read the sections: "Criticism of Cornwell's Work" and "Cornwell's later views". You'll save yourself a little money, not much time since Dalin's book can be read over lunch, and a lot of sanity (unless you want to be affirmed ad-nauseum that not all Catholics are Nazis).

[Pablo Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the information in this book since there has been a great movement to malign the character and policies of Pope Pius XII. Pope Pius was really a great friend of the Jewish people. Where this book falls short is that it is less a history of Pius XII and more of a rebuttal of other books written about him. I have not read those other books, so the endless referring to them detracted from the history the author was trying to tell.

[Carl L Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The myth of Hitler pope

Everyone should read this book. When a book trashes the pope,. It ends up on the best seller list because of anticatholic bias in the media. When a book praises the pope it barely gets noticed because of anticatholic bias in the media.

[Bob McPhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read if you read Hitlers Pope. It's a much more honest story about Pope Pius Xll. The author reveals who the true antisemites were during WWII. I also intend to read at a later date, the Three Pope's and the Jews.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book. A wonderfully written, and very heavily sourced refutation the myth that Hitler and Pius XII worked together in any measure.

[Surisaray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched, there is a lot of information on behalf of Pope Pius XII. Highly recommend.

[James Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's amazing to me when people fabricate information or deliberately leave out information to support their narrative. Now I wan to read Hitler's Pope.

[Kara Palley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another outrageous media/elite/left narrative bites the dust.

[Burnsteinz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rabi makes a good case

[Jeremy Hatfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the author's defense of Pope Pius XII, but a lot of times, and he makes a good answer for the work this book was written to rebut, but it seems like he tries too hard to defend Catholic Philosemitism, and makes too much an effort to demonize liberalism, instead of letting the virtues of one and the shortcomings of the other speak for themselves.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important work which sets the record straight regarding the history of Pope Pius XII's handing of the Holocaust. More importantly, lending credence to the claims made in the book, this is a work written by a Jewish Rabbi defending a Catholic Pope. An important piece of history if you are interested in 20th century history, the Holocaust, or Catholic/Jewish relations.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really good to get a good history of what Pope Pius XII did during the Holocaust. The book had so much information it is hard to take it all in. I also like that the book gives the whole history of the Vaticans treatment of Jews. 1800's to present time.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This book didn't really stand on it's own. It was written in response to Hitler's Pope, by John Cornwell and reads like a very boring research paper. A well researched research paper, but dull.

[Kristin Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic response to Cornwell's Hitler's Pope. If one were to have just read Cornwell's work, you would have a very slanted view of the times and the church's efforts to save Jews in the Holocaust. Reading both works offers a much more complete picture of the times.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. The author tries hard to dispel myths put up by anti-orthodox critics of the Church in the last decade or so. It seemed like a stretch-out of some shorter pieces, though.

[HB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting view of the
Roman Cathloic Church during WWWII. Just goes to show the courage some people have in times of stress and distress.