Was Pius XII 'Hitler's Pope'? The Concordat of 1933

An unfortunate admixture of history-blinding 'presentist' bias, exacerbated by today's sound bite culture, academic overspecialization by scholars and professional historians, and polarizing polemics have led to a consensus regarding the topics of Pius XII's conduct toward European Jewry during the fascist era. In the wake of the eightieth anniversary of the July 1933 Reichskonkordat between the Vatican and the Third Reich, the moment is timely to revisit the main issues. This essay re-examines the key arguments, introduces overlooked historical evidence, and considers the reports on Pius XII by prewar and wartime contemporaries. Keywords Pope Pius XII * Cardinal Pacelli. Adolf Hitler * Benito Mussolini. Rolf Hochhuth * Pope Pius V. Queen Elizabeth I * John Oesterreicher * Karl Thieme * Pope Francis * Mit Brennender Sorge 1933 Reichskonkordat. Pope Pius XI
The Pius War: Back to the Barricades The 80th anniversary of one of the landmark moments in the recent history of the Catholic Church recently passed without much fanfare: the [...]