The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965 [Paperback]

Phayer offers exactly what was needed.... A fair and even-tempered account of a volatile subject. Kirkus Reviews

An important addition to the literature of the Holocaust. Publishers Weekly

Very valuable... a fine and judicious book. Istv?n De?k, The New York Review of Books

Phayer has written a singularly important book on the role of the Catholic Church in both the Holocaust and its aftermath, up to and including Vatican II. Diligently researched and documented, judicious in its conclusions, comprehensive in its scope, compassionate and humane in its outlook, this book is an indispensable resource. Richard L. Rubenstein

Phayers study of [the Catholic Church] as an actor in the tumultuous history of the [20th century] will serve as a model for other historians. Donald J. Dietrich, Boston College

Phayers book, particularly strong on German source material, is at pains to list Piuss strong points his piety, his loathing of Hitler, the instances of personal warmth, the occasions when he criticized Nazism. Phayer examines not only Piuss actions but those of other leading Catholics, and his study extends beyond the end of World War II to follow the evolution of official Catholic thinking during the rebuilding of Germany, the cold war, and the gradual theological reforms that led to Vatican II. This enables Phayer to show how the church completely reversed its position relative to the Jews, but it also gives him a more thorough reading of Pius XIIs overall record. It is a damning and convincing verdict that emerges. Commonweal

All the more powerfully because of its measured tone and deliberate reasoning, this book demonstrates how Pius XII's anticommunism warped his moral judgment during the 1940s. As a result, he behaved more like Metternich or the CEO of a selfinterested corporation than the Vicar of Christ on earth. In wel

Michael Phayer is Professor of History at Marquette University. His two most recent books,l“$