Rating: 
Summary: Lacking in Serious Historical Merit
Review: Cornwall, who professes to be a practicing Catholic but who has acknowledged in the past that he is not, tries to boost the revisionists that seek to indict Pius XII. Unfortunately for him, this sensational account is lacking in merit, and is not dignified for serious historical study. Cornwall makes glaring historical errors, and engages in enormous leaps of logic that undermines the credibility of his book. This historical railroad never stops to consider Pius's own words spoken during the midst of the Nazi reign, which were cited at the time as the strongest condemnation of Nazism by any world leader. He neglects that many Jewish religious and political leaders publicly thanked Pius XII for all he did to combat Nazism. But why bother with the facts when you have a point to make? Although it has become "pop" and "fashionable" of late to criticize Pius XII, the facts on which this revisionist trend remain unconvincing. To a serious student of history, Cornwall adds nothing more than more hype and tabloid history.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling, but far from perfect look at Pope Pius XII
Review: The title is a bit of a misnomer and, while it may help sell books, it also damages Cornwell's credibility before the reader has a chance to dive in. Nevertheless, Cornwell presents a challenging, thought provokin book that is as well researched as his previous works.Cornwell makes a compelling argument for Pope Piux XII involvement in Hitler's final solution for the Jews. Cornwell demonstrates a historian's eye for detail and a sense of purpose that helps illuminate Pacelli's biases. Pacelli was very much a man of his time and that, along with the fact that he became pope at a cruial moment in history, is unfortunate. We can't expect the average man or woman to transcend the views of their time, but we should expect it of our leaders. In that regard, Pacelli failed humanity, the Catholic Church and, ultimately, the papcy. Any historian approaches his subjects with a certain amount of bias (just as any author of a scientific or medical study knows what outcome they want to prove prior to writing the protocol for a study). That doesn't discredit the results as long as the work is well documented.
Rating:
Summary: Hitler Not to Blame
Review: Adolph Hitler is not to blame for PIUS XII. To paraphrase Tolstoy "All good people are good in the same way. All evil people come to evil each in their own particular way." It's a good book with some failings. I was exhausted at the end and kept praying for the short section on John XXIII to be longer. But then it couldn't be --- or could it---
Rating: 
Summary: A Timely, Important Work
Review: At a time when Pope John Paul II is actually thinking of canonizing Pope Pius XII, it is extremely important for all men and women to read this book, which details the extent of Pius's complicity with Hitler. Cornwell has methodically researched the case against Pope Pius XII, has sifted through mountains of evidence, and found the case to be strong indeed. The inescapable conclusion is that Pope Pius XII collaborated with Hitler, and that he was fully aware of what he was doing.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating new information, but overwrought
Review: The principal strength of this book lies in its source material, not all of which has been available previously. However, it is also packaged with a fair amount of invective against Pius XII and the institution of the papacy itself. Yet, there is enough there so that a discerning reader can pick out the important details and ignore the fluff. It is unfortunate that Cornwell was not more professional in his treatment; it could have been a much more powerful indictment. For example, Cornwell strongly implies that Pius XII's extravagant coronation is evidence of his autocratic tendencies. But this is taken out of context; Pius XII quite obviously was trying to boost morale of Catholics around the world during very trying times. Cornwell unfortunately, here as in many places in Hitler's Pope, simply squeezes too many biased conclusions out of innocuous data. Also, Cornwell's use of pictures taken out of context to bolster his case does show a lack of professionalism. That being said, there is also enough raw information provided that can enable the discerning reader to reach valuable conclusions about the role of the papacy in the context of WWII. There is ample evidence provided in the book to support the conclusion that the papacy undermined local Catholic resistance to Hitler and that Pacelli in his role of nuncio to Germany played a large role in bringing that about. There is also ample evidence presented of the casual anti-Judiasm that pervaded the church at the time. And where I feel that Cornwell is strongest is in arguing for the capacity of the Catholic Church and its members to do good : particularly in presenting cases where Catholic opposition to barbarity during WWII did in fact bring about change; both in Germany and in other fascist regimes in eastern Europe. Finally, Cornwell is also strong in showing that Pius XII knew what was happening to the Jews in Nazi Germany and yet said nothing. Cornwell's book, despite the sometimes obviuos bias of the author, shows that the silence was indeed deafening. At the very least, Pius XII was inept on the scale of Neville Chamberlain, largely (perhaps willingly) blind to the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust, and certainly unwilling to spend any political capital to join the fight against one of the most evil regimes in history. Apologists continue to defend Pius XII as defending the church from being stamped out in Germany and its conquered regions during WWII. However, in light of Cornwell's work, this can no longer be considered justification, but only perhaps an excuse. Also it is evidence of the lengths that high ranking officials of the Catholic Church went during WWII to sacrifice principle in favor of themselves and their institution : which I painfully view as an astounding lack of Faith in the triumph of the Church by its very own leader.
Rating:
Summary: Points off for the title
Review: This is a carefully researched book, yet it is clearly not written from an objective point of view. I came away convinced of the following: Pius XII was, before the war, an appeaser along with most other political figures in Europe. He did 'collude' with the Nazis in that he signed a treaty, the Reich Concordat, which helped Hitler eliminate his political opposition, because it furthered Pius XII aim of solidifying central Papal authority. During the war he was lax in his condemnations of Nazi horrors, preferring to make oblique and non-specific references to Nazi atrocities. He was probably an anti-semite, not in the racist and violent way that Hitler was, but in a bigoted way that was common to members of his generation (and previous popes). I'd make this analogy of Pius to Lincoln: Lincoln was a man who, provoked by great events, became a great man. Pius XII was a man who in the face of great events was not able to overcome his personal flaws, and was thus not able to play the role in history his position demanded he play. The idea that Pius XII saved 800,000 jews is absurd - they were saved by individuals (Catholics and non) acting on their own. Nor are the encomiums of statesmen and other diplomatically inspired people convincing. The book is hurt by the misleading title and the gartuitous and grotesque description of Pius XII funeral. Credit does go to the author making his politics plain in the afterword.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I'm 3/4 of the way through this book and I find it very refreshing. For years I've been hearing from Jews and non-Jews alike how the Holocaust is the ultimate test for the Jewish faith. I've never understood why the Holocaust is a test for the murdered but not for the murderers. It seems to me that the Holocaust should really throw into question the entire Christian religion -- a religion which prides itself on being based on agape -- or Love with a capital "L". It seems a little obscene that Christians, Protestant and Catholic alike, should pride themselves on Love of humanity but fail miserably when asked to show mere tolerance for a people -- the Jews -- whose only crime is to have steadfastly refused to follow a faith and customs in which they do not believe. By tolerance I mean nothing more or less than the right to live and practice the Jewish religion in peace. Instead, Christians have actively butchered Jews through the millenia and even those who did not actually participate in the butchery or urge on the butchers, have made statements to the effect that the Jews had brought it upon themselves. The author has done a great service by directing the moral magnifying glass in the right direction -- where it should have been all along -- on the murderers and those who -- like Pope Pius XII -- consorted with the murderers.
Rating:
Summary: If He's Canonized, It's A Sure Sign Of The Apocalypse
Review: I was raised as a Catholic. I say that, as I believe the reviewer's background is relevant when reviewing this type of book. It appears the reviews can be divided into two categories, people who read the book without it's affecting their faith, and the one-star reviewers, who I would suggest are primarily Catholic, and did not read the book if that were that upset by it. If your Faith in any religion can be ruined or even damaged by one book about one, in this case Pope, how strong was it before the book was read? Another book that should be read is "Unholy Trinity", which actually motivated me to pursue more information about the actions of the Catholic Church and Pius XII in particular. Human beings are flawed, so why is it a shock that a Pope can be as flawed as the next person? He is flesh and blood when he is born, and his composition does not change when he is elected Pope. A Catholic who does not question Papal Authority, the 233 books of The Bible is certain to be offended. Their "Faith" has not been offended rather their "Blind Faith" has been the victim. This book is no more damaging than the other I mentioned or others that have been written. I will say if this bothered you "Unholy Trinity" will give you a stroke. The fact that the Catholic Church has cut itself off, and is out of touch with its flock is not news and should not be a surprise. How does one watch the Pope riding through a village devastated by Famine, and have him pronounce abstinence is the answer to this issue as well as Aids? It's patently absurd. Catholic Churches are being forced to close and consolidate because there is such a shortage of new Priests. People today will not accept being treated as though they are ignorant; they want to read a Bible that has not been encoded in Latin so that they had no knowledge of what it contained. Knowledge is power and the Church wants it to itself. The better part of 400 years to publicly admit that Galileo was correct, it sounds like a bad joke, but worse it's true. Pacelli was interested in his power, his prospects for being a Saint, his direct relationship with "his" God. Was he anti-Semitic? If you were to defend his innocence in court you would lose. They rounded up Jews outside of his Palace, they drove the Jews by the Vatican, as the Germans were curious about the Building that housed the man who signed the FIRST treaty with Hitler, and then took the Jews to a cave and slaughtered them. Pacelli the man did not care, how could Pacelli The Pope care? Canonizing this flawed man would be a crime, but if this happens, as it surely will, I hope there is a new category created for those who deserve the highest honor the Church can bestow. For one I don't think Mother Teresa should have to share the same title as this very flawed man. Everything that can be positive about ANY religion was Mother Teresa; Pacelli represents what happens when any church becomes a group, when it becomes "Us" versus "Them". Church, Synagogue, Mosque, Buddhist Temple, no one is better, no one worse, just different. Until this is accepted as fact we as a race are in for the continuing misery that is Organized Religion, as it now exists.
Rating:
Summary: An enlightening and sad story of Pius XII's complicity with
Review: While Pius' complicity was not necessarily overt, his failure to speak out was morally wrong. The heros in this story were the Italians who consistently refused to go along with Hitler's plans to exterminate problematic people. The story of Croatia is stunning -- that alone should end any idea of cannonizing this Pope. He spoke to the narrowist views of Catholicism -- narrow and unforgiving. I feel that going along with the idea that some Jews were saved by brave Catholics and by "some" of Pius's works is disingenuous at best. His could have been a powerful moral voice from a very Bully Pulpit that would have made a difference. I highly recommend the book -- it is depressing because we all know the outcome which was a tragedy.
Rating:
Summary: poor and partial
Review: the boock is not documented, partial and in some cases misinformed. moreover it contains factual mistakes. poor service to the truth
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