Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust (Leicester History Of Religions) [Paperback]

John Roth (Author), Carol Rittner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0826475663 | ISBN-13: 978-0826475664 | Publication Date: June 1, 2004

Collaborative effort by a number of the world's leading experts on the Holocaust. Lively, but not sensationalistic, this book is balanced but on the cutting edge of one of the most important debates in this field: how should Vatican policies during World War II be understood? Specifically, could Pope Pius XII have curbed the Holocaust by vigorously condemning the Nazi killing of Jews? Was Pius XII really 'Hitler's Pope', as John Cornwell's provocative book recently suggested? Or has he unfairly become a scapegoat when he is really deserving of canonization as a Roman Catholic saint instead? In Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust, well-informed scholars--including Michael Marrus, Michael Phayer, Richard L. Rubenstein and Susan Zuccotti--wrestle with these questions. The book has four main themes: (1) Pope Pius XII must be understood in his particular historical context. (2) Pope Pius XII put the well-being of the Roman Catholic Church--as he understood that well-being--first and foremost. (3) In retrospect, Pope Pius XII's priorities--understandable though they are--not only make him a problematic Christian leader but also raise important questions about post-Holocaust Christian identity. (4) Jewish and Christian memories of the Holocaust will remain different, but reconciliation can continue to grow. On all sides, relations between Christians and Jews can be improved by an honest facing of history and by continuing reflection about what post-Holocaust Christian and Jewish identities ought--and ought not--to mean.>

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a book of uncharacteristic range and power that...shares an intense commitment to historical and religious integrity. The sum total is an offering of unusual depth and decency."
—Michael Berenbaum, author of The World Must Know and Director of the Sigi Ziering Institute, University of Judaism

"John Roth and Carol Rittner have achieved the unbelievable. This book offers searching, sophisticated reviews of many aspects of Pius' thought and policies in tandem with nuanced critique and ideological defense."
—Irving Greenberg, President of the Jewish Life Network and Chair of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council

"The opportunity for the authors to meet and discuss the myriad issues that lie at the heart of this debate has resulted in an anthology of unusual coherence...[the authors] offer measured and varied interpretations of [the pope's] words, actions, and policies...This volume will help readers understand why the issue is so charged and, to this point, intractable...Recommended [for] general readers through faculty."
—Choice, March 2003 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John K. Roth is the Pitzer Professor of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College, where he has taught since 1966. In 1988, he was named National Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Roth is a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council in Washington. Carol Rittner, R.S.M., is distinguished professor of holocaust and genocide studies at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. >

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826475663
• ISBN-13: 978-0826475664
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,373,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John K. Roth is the Edward J. Sexton Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and the Founding Director of the Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights (now the Center for Human Rights Leadership) at Claremont McKenna College, where he taught from 1966 through 2006. In 2007-2008, he served as the Robert and Carolyn Frederick Distinguished Visiting Professor of Ethics at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. In addition to service on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council and on the editorial board for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, he has published hundreds of articles and reviews and authored, co-authored, or edited more than forty books, including Genocide and Human Rights: A Philosophical Guide; Gray Zones: Ambiguity and Compromise in the Holocaust and Its Aftermath; and Ethics During and After the Holocaust: In the Shadow of Birkenau. With Peter Hayes, Roth is currently editing the Oxford Handbook of Holocaust Studies for the Oxford University Press. Roth has been Visiting Professor of Holocaust studies at the University of Haifa, Israel, and his Holocaust-related research appointments have included a 2001 Koerner Visiting Fellowship at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies in England as well as a 2004-05 appointment as the Ina Levine Invitational Scholar at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C. In 1988, Roth was named U.S. National Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.