Hitler, the War, and the Pope, Revised and Expanded

Was Pope Pius XII a Nazi Sympathizer?

For almost fifty years, a controversy has raged about Pope Pius XII. Was the Pope who had shepherded the Church through World War II a Nazi sympathizer? Was he, as some have dared call him, Hitler's pope? Did he do nothing to help the Jewish people in the grips of the Holocaust?

In a thoroughly researched and meticulously documented analysis of the historical record, Ronald Rychlak has gotten past the anger and emotion and uncovered the truth about Pius XII. Not only does he refute the accusations against the Pope, but for the first time documents how the slanders against him had their roots in a Soviet Communist campaign to discredit him and, by extension, the Church.

"Let those who doubt but read Rychlak, follow his exquisitely organized courtroon-like arguments. What Professor Rychlak brings to the forum are facts, not rhetoric; dates, not conjecture; evidence, not slander.... The world owes Ronald Rychlak a debt for bringing the truth to light." -- Rabbi Eric A. Silver

"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

In this extensive revision, Ronald J. Rychlak plumbs the depths of the Vatican s internal report on Pius XII as well as investigates recent charges that Soviet counter intelligence was involved in a plan to discredit Pius XII.

He also takes on all the various charges against Pius XII from John Cornwell, James Carroll, Susan Zuccotti, and others. No serious charge is left unrebutted.

Mr. Rychlak is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association Professor of Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law. Mr. Rychlak has received three medals from the Holy See for his diplomatic service, and he advises the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. His most recent book is Righteous Gentiles: How Pius XII and the Catholic Church Saved Half a Million Jews from the Nazis.