Rating: 
Summary: Is Cornwell a historian or a conspiracy theorist?
Review: After reading "Hilter's Pope" through twice, I think you would not have much of a book left if you took out Cornwell's criticisms of Pius XII and other popes for trying to ensure that Catholic doctrine is correctly taught and for trying to ensure that Church practice is universally consistent. Disdain for the teaching authority of the Catholic Church and the papacy is on every page. Even if you hate the idea of a central teaching authority or the fact that the Church isn't run as a democracy, it does not follow, as the author implies over and over again, that someone who believes that a central authority is necessary is the same as a vicious murdering dictator who has dreams of world dominion and will stop at nothing to carry it out. Cornwell tries to yoke these two disparate figures together in every way possible, trying to tar Eugenio Pacelli, who became Pope Pius XII, with the brush of Hilter's guilt. Cornwell's main thesis is that Pacelli/Pius XII was power-hungry, and everything he did throughout his career, including his concordat with Hilter, had that single motive. The rhetorical techniques Cornwell uses are impressive, even if reprehensible. A photo of the Pope blessing people in St. Peter's Square is shown on the same page as Hilter on a balcony in front of a huge crowd. A paragraph documenting an action by Pacelli during his diplomatic career will be followed by a paragraph about an unrelated atrocity by a Nazi official, even there is no evident connection between the two. Readers who read through this long book too fast may find these things blurring together to achieve the author's sought-for impression. It is obvious from the title and book itself that the author was trying to prove that Pius XII, collaborated with Hilter and hated Jews both before and afer he became pope. My understanding is that the pope did not try more directly to stop Hilter because of the very real danger that Hilter would respond with more violent action against Catholics and Jews. Religious practice had been exterminated in countries under Communist rule. The same prospect was hanging over the German church with the rise of the Nazis, even though Hilter gave lip service to the Christian churches. In spite Hilter's being born Catholic, no one could accuse Hilter of remaining a Catholic. He was a neo-pagan; his fantastic man-made religion built upon the notion of survival of the fittest to conceive of a super race to be achieved by destroying all genetically inferior members of the human species, Jewish and Polish people included, and anyone else who stood in his way. A lot of Catholic clergy who spoke out died in concentration camps, including the priest St. Maximillian Kolbe, who volunteered to die instead of a Jewish family man in one of the camps. As Pacelli, the Vatican diplomat, and Pius XII, the pope, he saw that a concordat with Mussolini succeeded in buffering the Church in Italy to some degree, and that a concordat with Hilter could have the same effect in Germany...P>Cornwell writes scornfully even about things that wouldn't seem evil in someone else's eyes. For example, Cornwell cricizes Pacelli/Pius XII for his asceticism, his dedication to personal prayer, his hard work, and his devotion to St. Therese, who taught a "little way" to God through love of God expressed through love of the people around us. And from what he writes, Cornwell apparently sees the fact that people loved this pope whenever they got to meet him as due to the pope's evil genius rather than his holiness. Cornwell described the decay of Pope Pius XII's body after death in horrifying detail (but didn't quote any sources for his information). This final indignity leaves me with an impression contrary to make his point. Cornwell starts this book saying he got access to secret archives because he told the Vatican archivists about his desire to defend Pius XII, but then he got disillusioned by what he discovered. Cornwell's previously published words show his disdain for the Church dated from before the date of his research on this book, which makes me think that when Cornwell told the Vatican that he wanted to defend Pius XII that Cornwell was not really sincere. In Cornwell's previous book about the death of John Paul I after a little over a month as pope, Cornwell claimed he had been asked by the Vatican to dispel rumors about the pope's early death, and then he was disillusioned by what he found out after doing his research on that topic. If you believe what Cornwell writes in these two books, his respect for the Church has risen at least twice until it was deflated twice by his research for two books that coincidentally turn out to be scandalous exposes. It also strains one's credibility that the Vatican would have asked a former seminarian and outspoken critic of the Church to investigate the death of a Pope. Perhaps Cornwell has proven his ability, not as a historian but a skilled writer of conspiracy theories? END
Rating:
Summary: Poor Scholarship
Review: ...Cornwell jumps around trying to prove his adjenda, often attempting to run together completely unreleated events. Cornwell's reference to a Pius quote, a Jew with "pale, dirty, with drugged eyes" is a remark that the pope made about one particular Bolshevik; it was not a sweeping generalization about Jews...The soldier pictured on the right is not even a Nazi soldier. For a much better account of what the archives contain, "Pius XII and the Second World War" by Pierre Blet comes much more highly recommended. END
Rating: 
Summary: Hitler's Pope : The Secret History of Pius XII
Review: ...I first want to commend Cornwell on the detail and depth into which he delved the Vatican records. He has searched those records at length and has interviewed many people. He has read memoranda and texts in the original languages. He has certainly cited other sources for his conclusions. For me, this renders my review more respectful. It would be possible for me, as a reader, to search through the same sources, and possibly find the same information. I do not believe Cornwell has excessively skewed his view of Pius XII. I believe he has tried to give Pius XII a "chance" to be understood through the record he left behind. My own view is that Pius XII was a man filled with hubris. He seemed to preen and show his feathers in the negotiations leading up to the Concordant that he signed with Hitler. He had his own Vatican inspired agenda and that agenda was clearly rife with internal Vatican and Catholic politics. He certainly does not show any great compassion for the Jews of Europe. Nor does he appear to show any compassion for Orthodox Christians in Croatia, who were butchered and slaughtered by Dominican led death squads. It is quite apparent to me that Pius XII, thinking himself quite the negotiator, was bamboozeled and flim-flammed by Hitler. One who felt he was pretty crafty and skillful as a negotiatior was completely blindsided by a dictator without scruple. Pius XII appears to have been devastated by the sleight-of-hand Hitler performed on him. As was a despot of such infamy as Stalin...Pius XII dealt with the two most evil persons in history -- Hitler and Stalin...He is just another Pope who dabbled in politics and geopolitics and was in over his head...Mr. Cornwell's work will stand the test of time, I am sure. People may dispute his interpretations, but thankfully, the documentation and sources allow one to plow through the literature and make even more definitive positions on and of their own. A very good buy. A must for those of us who study the Holocaust and all the deep moral implications of that horror. Buy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Hitler's Pope, The Secret History of Pius XII
Review: This is an excellent historical discussion of Pius XII's involvement with Hitler and his lack of compassion and aid to the Jews in WWII. Also has several chapters devoted to discussions on his legacy and continued impact on the Catholic Church, the Papacy and Vatican II since his death in 1958. Very thought provoking and recommended reading for Jews and Catholics both.
Rating:
Summary: Not Catholic Bashing
Review: The tendency is to read Cornwell from a posture of group loyality, one could not possibly agree with his analysis of PiusXII's leadership and remain "faithful" In total, I understand Cornwell's tale as one more useful example of how leadership dedicated blindly to the cause of institutional maintenance can negate the soul of institutions. Pius XII had a profound flaw of character, not necessarily of his own making. Cornwell describes how little diverse human connection he had as a child, student-priest, and on his course upward through the diplomatic service. His life experiences provided him with none of the tools of affect -- of understanding the complexities of ordinary life that do not resolve easily to black and white rules or purposes. His tragedy is more the fact he was made ultimate leader in times calling for far greater rootedness in human experience, and should call attention more to how leaders are moved up institutional ladders to summit positions. In times of crisis and change all too many institutions select leaders narrowly focused in on the corporate entity, with results much like those Cornwell found in examining the record of Pius XII and the Church under his leadership. What would be of great interest is the history of those within institutions such as the Roman Church who defied leadership, and acted creatively in the face of evil. Small example -- I know of a small group of teaching brothers in a mid western city who provided teaching jobs to applicants for refugee visas from Germany We need to know the complex and contradictory narrative, and not simply celebrate group loyality -- one way or another -- as we contemplate Cornwell's story.
Rating:
Summary: Ignores what doesn't support his thesis
Review: This work is unbelievably bad scholarship to say the least! Despite the fact that he was completely surrounded by Nazis and Fascists, Pius XII oversaw an international operation that saved at least 800,000 Jews. That is pretty good considering he had no army or navy. Cornwall ignores everything positive about Vatican covert rescue operations (that placed--quite wisely--a premium on silence)and seems to be obsessed with this idea that Pius should metaphorically just stand out in the street and condemn the Axis like he was John the Baptist. Sorry, Pius was on another type of mission than was the Baptist. Cornwell does not dwell upon Nazi retaliation when indeed cries were made public early in the war; he just acts as if he thinks Pius is like some politico from middle America who can be effective using the bully pulpit. Geez, the man has no understanding whatsoever! He obviously has never been in a situation where complaining about the lack of a writ of habeus corpus meant nothing but a laugh right before you received a bullet in your ear. Hopefully, this will lead to a large tome in response to Cromwell's inaccurate and unfair book. In the meantime, to obtain the other side of the story there have been many essays published on the net; just go to any major search engine and look for "Pius XII." By all means, read works on both sides of the issue; a side benefit will be that you'll improve your abilities at critical analysis.
Rating:
Summary: Hype calculated to appeal to Anti-Catholics
Review: Cornwell has ignored a great deal of research that contradicts his central thesis. A thesis that I believe was driven much more by market considerations than anything else. Moreover, he reduces extremely complicated events to the level of cartoons. For example, during the Spanish Civil War thousands of churches, convents and monasteries were destroyed, and more than 8,000 priests and nuns were killed by the Communists. Franco's Fascists, supported by Hitler and Mussolini, eventually won the war and the attacks on the Church ended. So what stance should the leader of the Roman Catholic church take in these circumstances? This is not a simple problem and Pius obviously had to carefully craft the Vatican's actions in extremely volatile and dangerous conditions. It's very easy to be critical from the snug, safety of a library in Cambridge 60 years after the fact. Cornwell also has a simple-minded assessment of the extent of the Pope's power at the time. For example, If Pius could not prevent the Nazi's from murdering 3,000,000 Roman Catholic Poles how was he supposed to protect Jews, Gypsies, the disabled and the other groups the Nazis had marked for extermination? All-in-all this is a deeply flawed book created to appeal to bigots, the misinformed and those who harbor deep feelings of resentment to the Church.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough And Fair
Review: A thorough and fair account of a crisis in public courage and private diplomatic policy that the pope and the Vatican failed. The fact that the Vatican is now issuing blanket apologies for historical errors during this period and others is directly linked to the same failure. Anyone actually reading this book will see the author has been careful and scrupulous, but he's still only revealing the tip of an unpleasant iceberg. Read the book UNHOLY TRINITY, based almost entirely on documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, to learn more of the sad tale.
Rating:
Summary: Hits Hard-as it should.
Review: This is not "Catholic Bashing". This an honest attempt to document Pius X11s failure to help the Jews of Europe escape the Holocaust. Especially galling is his failure to help Roman Jews or even Jews who had converted to Catholicism escape their fate. As long as Hitler left the Catholic Church alone, Pius was apparantly satisfied. The harsh authoritarian style of Pius comes for some justifiable criticism- a style that persists to this day. Buy the bbok at the hardcover price- its worth it and will make a fine gift to the student of Church affairs or 20th century history.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth reading, but flawed by emotion
Review: The author delivers a powerful interpretation of the pre-World War II years, in which Eugenio Pacelli rose through the ranks of the Roman Catholic Church to eventually become Pope Pius XII. He postulates that during that period, both the tendency on the part of the Church to become more centralized and autocratic, and Pacelli's personal efforts and enthusiasm in favor of this autocracy contributed to a weakened political base of Catholics in Europe at a time when such a base might have proved a counterweight to the rise of dictatorial regimes. The author's main point is that had the Church not signed an agreement with Hitler in which Catholic political action was forbidden, in exchange for Hitler's recognition and support of Catholic religious activity, the Catholic polical parties might have and probably would have formed an effective hindrance to Hitler's rise to power, possibly even preventing the awful horrors of the Third Reich. It is a point toward which he provides extensive substantiation; however, he belabors the point repeatedly. By the hundredth time that you've read it, you begin to weary of it. If even a tenth of what is documented in the book is true, it is a tragic tale of misguided people scrambling to maintain some control on a world which was quickly going out of control. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" is a well-worn aphorism and it certainly played out in this tragic tale. One of Hitler's enemies was Communism; it was also the enemy of the Church. The Church had already preferred Mussolini and Franco over Communism. While these two were not exactly schoolmarms, they were not nearly as systematically and effectively murderous as Adolf Hitler. The Church supported Hitler because he too, opposed Communism. How could they have known, however, that he would try to exterminate much of the population of Europe? No one can be blamed for what Hitler did because no one could conceive of the absolute horror that he wreaked upon the world; just because, as some people say, he published his various writings and made his speeches, does not implicate those who heard them. Witness Rush Limbaugh - he's outrageous but not a threat. If you are not a thief, it is hard to conceive of someone else being a thief. If you are not out to rule the world and kill off most of it (every race that wasn't Aryan was beneath Hitler's contempt), you cannot conceive of someone else being that way. The Vatican, since the Lateran Treaty, is only about 100 acres. It Italy, Austria, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland. Everywhere the Vatican looked there were Fascists. How could anyone expect them to take a strident stance? It's easy for England and America to judge them, but if you had been stuck there in the middle, what would you have done? The author, having made his major point, then turns to personally attacking Eugenio Pacelli's character and person. While such information may be timely due to the current controversy over Pius XII's possible canonization against the view of many Jews that Pius criminally neglected to oppose Hitler and help the Jews during the war, it is merely salt rubbed into the wound in this book. END
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