Pope Pius XII: Hitler's Nemesis

The revisionist "historians" who seem so intent on defaming Pope Pius XII by falsely misrepresenting his role during World War II have in recent years been rebutted by some very reliable sources. One of the more interesting new books on the subject, written by Dan Kurtzman, is A Special Mission: Hitler's Secret Plot to Seize the Vatican and Kidnap Pope Pius XII.

(The photo below shows Pope Pius XII greeting the people of Rome during World War II.)


The book breaks new ground by bringing to light the hatred Hitler held for Pope Pius, whom he called a "Jew lover", and describing in detail the plot Hitler formed to occupy the Vatican, kill all the members of the curia, and take the pope prisoner. It's a fascinating read and presents a balanced picture of Pope Pius, his courage, and the difficulties he faced surrounded as he was by a ruthless enemy. I highly recommend it.

It you'd like to read a review of the book, click here: The Plot to Kidnap Pope Pius XII.

Another book on the same subject, written by Rabbi David G. Dalin, is The Myth of Hitler's Pope, and  chronicles how Pope Pius XII rescued Jews from the Nazis.

Two more books, written by historian Sister Margherita Marchione, PhD., provide irrefutable evidence of the extreme measures Pope Pius XII took in defiance of the Nazis to aid the Jews of Europe. Here are links to these books on Amazon:

Pope Pius XII: Architect for Peace

and

Did Pope Pius XII Help the Jews?

Finally, there is the wonderful book written by Eugenio Zolli, the Chief Rabbi of Rome during the wartime years. His book, Before the Dawn, describes his journey to Christianity and his conversion to Catholicism after World War II. Becoming a Catholic, Zolli, whose given first name was "Israel", took the Christian name of Eugenio to honor Pope Pius XII (Eugenio was the Pope's baptismal name) for all he did to save Jews during WWII. One could hardly find a better witness than Rome's wartime Chief Rabbi.


And for those of you who'd rather watch the movie than read the book, Ignatius Press offers an excellent DVD called, A Hand of Peace, detailing Pope Pius XII and his response to the Holocaust.

I think it's time we Catholics come to the support of this courageous and holy man who is being unjustly and viciously attacked by so many. But we can't do this unless we know the facts.