Rating: 
Summary: Cornwell-neither historian or journalist.
Review: I set out to read, what I hoped would be an objective account of Pius XII's life and in particular a critique of his judgement durning WWII ie...should he take the moral highground and denounce NAZI attrocities or remain the pragmatic politician and work to save lives quietly. Instead,I found a clearly biased indictment....Mr. Cornwell sets out like a prosecutor in a Star Chamber hearing, from the start of the book to accuse Pacelli of everything from being genitically disposed to anti-semitism to having been responsible for WWI! No innuendo is too small to leave out of this book.....at one point the author suggest a sexual relationship between Pacelli as a young priest and his cousin. This is accoumplished through insinuation and post hoc ergo propter hoc reasoning....this distortion is symptomatic of the entire work and casts suspicion on the motives of the author. A Historian or a Journalist should seek truth...Mr. Cornwell is neither...No propagandist could have done better in this case....I only recommend this book as an exercise for those who wish to sharpen their analytical skills in avoiding literary charlatans.
Rating: 
Summary: Catholic Bash, Fact, or Fiction?
Review: Could it be that Cornwell's book was designed to create a controversy and thereby increase sales? Cornwell has no academic degrees in history, law or theolopgy and the substance of his book is marred by shoddy scholarship. Kenneth L. Woodward rightly stated in his review of Corwell's cheap shot at Pius XII in the September 27, 1999, issue of Newsweek: "Errors of fact and ignorance of context appear on almost every page."
Rating:
Summary: One perspective
Review: I am a member of the US Armed forces, living in Germany. In a country which has state supported churches, I read this book in search of a historical perspective to the situation I live in and why I am here or my comrades are down range in Kosovo and Bosnia. What I read was a sensationalist, myopic, ill prepared indictment of a man and a church. Unfortunately, this seems to be the preferred manner in which a great number of Americans seek out the material on which they base thier opinions. The conjecture made by the author about how the man FELT, 50 years after the fact is laughable. The putrid details of the mans funeral have no bearing on his life. The author evan goes so far as to lay blame the Pope's personality for the issues the church is struggleing with today. This is not the work of an objective historian. The one star rating I have given the book can be attributed to the fact that I feel this book can be used to gain one of the several perspectives needed, before one comes to any definitive conclusion to the inherent evil of the Pope or the Catholic Church. The persepctive gained here is certainly the anti-catholic one.
Rating: 
Summary: A controversial book about a controversial person
Review: If the author's research is credible, and it certainly appears so, then an unfavorable opinion of the subject can be the only result of this work. While parts of the book may be difficult for those without an in-depth knowledge of the Roman Catholic Church, the author presents his case very well. On the whole, it is interesting and informative but it will not convince anyone who refuses to accept a negative opinion of Pius XII.
Rating: 
Summary: Hitler's Pope
Review: This was a fascinating book. From an historical perspective it gives one an insight into the workings of the Catholic Church ( from a Catholic and former seminarian to boot), as well as many events leading up to and during the war. I belive that Cornwell's interpretation of certain facts and occurrences is somewhat tortured. Nevertheless, the clear wording of some of the documents he quotes (that were provided to him by the Vatican) show the anti-semitic bias of some Catholic church leaders during the time frame. It also shows how many Bishops tried to fight the Church positions to capitulate to Hitler, but were overwhelmed because the Church does not abide disagreement from its bishops. I am not sure that Cornwell made the case for anti-semitism on the part of Pious XII, although he did for some other leaders of the Church. However, it is clear that the Catholic Church leaders' (including Pious XII both before and during the time he was Pope) most important mission was to preserve its own religious beliefs as superior to any other religious belief. It was not, as Cornwell seems to theorize, that the Church was exercising anti-semitism although, as demonstrated, some bishops and others were clearly anti-semitic. Rather, my conclusion from the documents and speeches of the principals indicates that that the Church during the 1930s , and before and after the 30s, was trying to make itself as the omnipotent religious force for the world, to the exclusion of all other religions. And, its sole worry was that its political importance and influence would be hurt. To that extent, the book is sucessful in showing that the actions of the Church did contribute to the horror of the Holocaust, both for Jews and others. The book does a great service in showing what happens when organized religion attempts to both: (1) Insert its religious beliefs into the everyday actions of secular governments and leaders; and(2) overlook dastardly deeds of secular leaders because keeping the "religion unto itself and dominant" (my words) can be a moral excuse for turning the eyes away from atrocity. This book, even though somewaht flawed in its thesis, can serve as a warning to us about what can happen when organized religion becomes so powerful that it can insert itself into our secular life, in an attempt to cause outcomes from those governments that are favorable to the moral and religious beliefs of that organized religion.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating--but biased
Review: When the author stuck with the core theme of the book (What did Pius XII know, when did he know it, and what did he do) I thought the book was fascinating. I thought the inferences the author arrived at from foriegn diplomats' memos, the Vatican's own records, etc. were well reasoned. I also thought the author made a strong case that the Pope and the Church abandoned its moral authority in the face of the Nazi threat. While the Pope clearly never conspired with the Nazis, he certainly acquiesced to their actions, while amply apprised of the Nazi campaign against the Jews. I personally felt the research on these issues was presented in a thorough and convincing manner. This was not the Church's finest hour.But the author constantly included trivial, unflatttering facts whose sole purpose could only have been to purposely make the Pope look worse to the reader. This made me question whether the author was presenting a fair portrayal of the Nazi matters. It made me wonder if he purposely failed to present other exculpatory evidence that would have lead to a different interpretation of the Pope's actions. It made no difference to me that the Pope's body decomposed early, or the Vatican staff was required to get on their knees when talking to him on the phone. It is irrelevant to me that the Pope had such high esteem of himself that he felt compelled to lecture no other than T.S. Eliot on literature. Pius XII's eccentricies and ego shouldn't have been analyzed here...his action (or inaction) in light of the Nazi threat should have been the sole focus of this book. The author's constant indulgences in bringing up these matters seemed to undermine what was an otherwise powerful and justified condemnation of the Pope's inaction at a time when the world, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, needed him most. I even thought the title was unfair, since it implies a complicity that wasn't there. The "piling on" was unnecessary, and it made me question the veracity of a very interesting and compelling argument.
Rating:
Summary: The Unholy Father
Review: A well researched and well written book, that clearly demonstrates the anti Jewish bias of a coldly calculating and devious man. Cornwell also shows the dark side of the Catholic Church, and the powerful reactionary forces that control it. Love and tolerance are virtues. But it is difficult to read this book and come away with positive feelings about the Catholic Church.
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Summary: Cornwell illuminates a tragedy
Review: Hitler's pope is an incredible historical work. Cornwell's study of Pius XII's actions and inactions with respect to the Holocaust and other atrocities of World War II is complete in its indictment of the pope without giving him inhuman qualities of a monster. Cornwell shows the tragedy of Pacelli's political policies and of his view of all people other than Catholics as outside of his responsibility.
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Summary: Fair, Judicious Account of Pius' Complicity in the Holocaust
Review: Cornwell has presented an irrefutable case of Pope Pius XII's complicity in the Holocaust. And he has done it in such a way as to make it impossible for any fair-minded person to deny his conclusions. In fact, Cornwell began his investigation from the opposite vantage point - namely that Pius was innocent of the terrible charges that had been laid against him. Working with secret Vatican Archives, Cornwell found evidence in Pius' own hand which implicated him far worse than Cornwell had ever suspected. Indeed, Cornwell experienced something like a crisis of faith, much as Edmund Morris did when he was working on the Reagan Biography, and he realized, after years of research, that Reagan was essentially an empty shell, that there was no inner man there at all. Cornwell, like Morris, went through depression and emotional paralysis, until he was able to resume work on the project. Thankfully for us, for the world, he was able to complete his portrait of one of the century's unsung villains. Highly Recommended - should be mandatory for all college students!
Rating:
Summary: Pure Sensationalism
Review: I bought this book with great expectations; I thought it would enlighten me in regards to the activities of the Catholic Church during WWII. I had read several negative reviews but imagined that they were written by feverish catholics who were too angry that their future "saint" was being attacked and therefore the whole Church was under fire. The reality is that this book lacks objectivity in several areas and suffers from covenient selectivity when it comes to its sources. I consider a better work could have been done and maybe the author should have looked for objectivity instead of controversy. Still, it is worth the hours I spent reading it.
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