Pius XII and the Holocaust: Understanding the Controversy [Paperback]

Jose M. Sanchez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2002

Pope Pius XII’s alleged silence in the face of the destruction of the European Jews during World War II has been the subject of a fierce controversy that has continued unabated ever since Rolf Hochhuth’s "The Deputy" made the charge so spectacularly in 1963. Numerous critics have accused Pius of everything from deliberate anti-Semitism to collusion with the Nazi regime, while equally partisan defenders have argued that his silent diplomacy saved hundreds of thousands of Jews and other innocent victims from Nazi terror. So contentious has Pius’ role become that the phrase "the silence of Pius XII" has taken on a life of its own, beyond the facts.

In this highly accessible work, José M. Sánchez offers a new approach to the controversy. He discusses the reasons given for Pius’ behavior by the significant authors who have contributed to the dispute and evaluates their findings in the light of the published documents. He studies the controversial events that critics have cited to prove their contentions about the Pope, from his role in the negotiation of the German concordat of 1933 to the end of World War II in 1945. Sánchez provides a full examination of Pius’ public and private comments on the war and the destruction of the European Jews.

This analysis moves outside the traditional views to rephrase the issues. It is the first work to clearly and completely summarize the basic charges and defenses. It is also the first to bring to the dispute a full treatment of Pius’ personality in the context of the institutional framework within which he operated. With a conclusion that summarizes the findings and offers the author’s judgment on the issues, this study will enable readers to evaluate and understand one of the most heated controversies of modern times.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After the hype associated with John Cornwell's 1999 work Hitler's Pope, this careful, scholarly study of Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust is a refreshing contribution to a debate that continues more than a half century after the end of World War II. Sanchez, a professor of history at St. Louis University, thoughtfully examines the various arguments on both sides of a controversy that will likely never be resolved. In doing so, he presents a dispassionate, thoroughly documented tome that exhibits a high degree of fairness. Sanchez began his research in 1998 to provide a fresh, balanced look at a topic on which most authors have found it necessary to weigh in heavily on one side or the other. He assesses claims ranging from allegations that the late pope was an anti-Semite to the defense that the pontiff did not speak out more forcefully against the Nazi persecution of the Jews because he feared he would make things worse for the victims. Sanchez's conclusions offer nods to both the critics and defenders of Pius XII, but because his summary statement is more gray than black or white, readers looking for the sort of spice dished up by Hitler's Pope will doubtless be left disappointed. Sanchez's treatment is ideal for students of history and anyone truly interested in an objective analysis of a controversial figure.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

One of the hottest arguments among twentieth-century historians concerns Pope Pius XII's response to the Holocaust. Was Pius Hitler's Pope, as John Cornwell's 1999 best-seller styled him? Or was he, as his apologists insist, the foremost defender of all the peoples Nazism targeted for destruction? Sanchez measures both positions' claims against the available evidence. He is hampered by the same 75-year lock on papal documents that frustrates other researchers (Cornwell gained permission to see some of Pius' papers but, Sanchez argues, viewed them through the lens of disapproval) but not by preconceptions. He sketches Pius' life, the issues, and existing sources of information, then assesses what Pius could have known about the Holocaust, parses his statements about World War II, considers various motives advanced to explain his policies, discusses his personality, and imagines the effects had Pius strongly protested Nazi oppression, especially of the Jews. He concludes that Pius' dual responsibilities as vicar of Christ and leader of the church became impossible to reconcile. Indispensable for, as the subtitle says, understanding the controversy. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Catholic University of America Press (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081321081X
• ISBN-13: 978-0813210810
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #318,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pius without the Hagiography, April 7, 2002

By 

Paul O'Shea - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pius XII and the Holocaust: Understanding the Controversy (Paperback)

Jose Sanchez's Pius XII and the Holocaust is an excellent, scholarly presentation and summaryof the arguments surrounding the papacy of Eugenio Pacelli. Sanchez has meticulously reviewed and revisited much of the source material used by defenders and critics of Pius. His narrative is dispassionate and calm, always allowing the sources to speak for themselves. He cites the major historians from all camps and clearly sets out their arguments with some comments as to the helpfulness of their claims. At no point does he do other than that which he set out to do - namely allow the arguments space to be presented as clearly as possible. Sanchez leaves it to the reader to make up their own mind. For those who seek a "final word" or are waiting for the discovery of a "smoking gun", Sanchez will disappoint. I believe the greatest strength of this work is providing the historian along with the general reader with a very useful handbook with which to navigate the continual stream of material about Pope Pius. On subjects such as papal rhetoric and interpreting Vatican-speak, Sanchez does a great service. Discussing the relationship of Pacelli and the Nazi regime is another example of skillful historical analysis. It is not the last word or treatise on the subject, but it is a timely call to order on a subject that has more often than not been marred by polemic and name-calling among those who should know better.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Balanced, Scholarly View of Pius XII's Role in Holocaust, November 17, 2005

By 

Mark Lee (Woodruff, UT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pius XII and the Holocaust: Understanding the Controversy (Paperback)

When William Shirer published his standard work "The Rise and Fall of Hitler and the Third Reich" in 1960, about 15 years had passed since the end of WWII. At that time, Piux XII - deceased two years previously - was a minor character receiving no undue attention in the involvement of the terrible Holocaust two decades earlier.

In 1963, Rolf Hochhuth released his play, "The Deputy", and charged the late Pope with not forcefully protesting the Jewish slaughter. Over time, the "silence of Pius XII" became an indictment of a particular man (while the various other silences of persons great and small were largely brushed aside). There is no doubt that Catholic history vis-a-vis the Jews in general ("Constantine's Sword," James Carroll) and early 20th century Protestant Christian thought in particular ("Nazism, Liberalism, and Christianity: Protestant Social Thought in Germany and Great Britain 1925-1937," Kenneth C. Barnes) worked accidentally or otherwise with the neo-pagan "Volk" philosophies in Nazi Germany in such a fashion as to allow an abomination in human behavior.

With the publication of the popular (and provocatively titled) "Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII" in 1999, John Cornwell helped direct decades of frustration at one man: Pius XII. Apologists for "the Catholic position" quickly lined up ("Pius XII and the Second World War," Fr. Pierre Blet), and with battle lines drawn the student of history was left to wonder if hyperbole and polemic speech would ever allow for a sensible investigation of the matter.

I believe Jose M. Sanchez answered that call. In this book, Dr. Sanchez evaluates the problems and determines the issues, renders a concise history of the controversy and proceeds to examine the evidence: What type of life did Eugenio Pacelli lead before becoming Pius XII? What was his personality like? How did later changes to the papacy affect hindsight on the papacy of Pius XII? What were his feelings with regard to fascism and communism and how did they affect his action or inaction on various matters?

Pius XII is painted as a man who was refined, aloof, painfully diplomatic by nature and training, and probably out of his element in a world where people were gassing and incinerating their fellow men, women and children. What did Pius XII know? What should he have known? Pius is criticized where appropriate: He apparently took no action in Catholic Croatia against the genocide there in spite of the fact that he had more power there than in Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy.

Did Pius really fear that a papal protest would generate a greater retaliation against those whom he would intend to protect? All these issues and more are examined in this lucid, concise and scholarly treatment.

At the end of the day, Pius is neither condemned nor exonerated. But the reader comes away with a more clear view of a troubled man who bore an incredible weight and has been judged in wildly divergent ways over the last four decades.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fair and Just Treatment, December 22, 2002

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"presbytr" (Staten Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pius XII and the Holocaust: Understanding the Controversy (Paperback)

Jose Snachez has accomplished what no other modern author has been able to on the topic of Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust. Sanchez has provided his readers with an overall presentation of bth side of the argument. He has done a great deal of research al the while diplaying no particular preference or sense of favoritism.

He is to be commended for this, for I believe that he has done the very best in describing the events that surround this slender and frail individual.

Istrongly reccommend this work to anyone who would like to discover more of what actually took place in the years before, during and after the Holocaust. Sanchez writes in such a way as to avoid much technical language making his work accessible to readers of all ages and backgrounds.