What is the main message of The Pope at War?

The main message of The Pope at War is the Vatican's struggle for power during World War II.

How long does it take to read The Pope at War?

The reading time for The Pope at War varies. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

Who is the author of The Pope at War?

The author of The Pope at War is David I. Kertzer.

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The Pope at War Book Summary - The Pope at War Book explained in key points

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Name: The Pope at War
Rating: 4.3 (227 reviews)
Author: David I. Kertzer

David I. Kertzer

The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler

4.3 (227 ratings)

17 mins

Brief summary

"The Pope at War" by David I. Kertzer, explores the role of Pope Pius XI in World War II. It reveals the pope's complex relationships with Hitler and Mussolini, and how he struggled to maintain the Catholic Church's neutrality amidst rising fascism.

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Wars European History Christianity

Table of Contents

The Pope at War
Summary of 7 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Get a history lesson about a “great” pope and learn why sometimes silence is the worst crime of all.

History remembers Pope Pius XII in one of two ways: he’s either known as “Hitler’s Pope,” or as a hero to the Jews during World War II.

In 2020, the Vatican released millions of documents by and about Pope Pius XII that had never before been made public. These documents reveal new insights into the man beneath the regalia. They also reveal a new character in the drama of the Axis leaders and their negotiations. This “Nazi Prince” acted as a go-between during a series of secret negotiations between the pope and Hitler.

What emerges is a more complete understanding of why this pope made the decisions he did. We also get a larger, longer-lasting story – the criminality of silence when you’re in a position of power.

In this Blink, we’ll look at the lead-up to Pacelli’s election as pope, the secret negotiations at play, his inaction at the height of wartime, and how everything fell out at the end.

The death of a pope

Sometimes you can see the future coming a mile away. Eugenio Pacelli, who served as secretary of state to Pope Pius XI, left a very distinct impression on those he interacted with. From ambassadors to statesmen to fellow cardinals, people viewed him as a devout and pious man but essentially lacking in will or character. Those opinions should have been a warning sign.

At the beginning of 1939, an aging and ailing Pope Pius XI was going head-to-head with Il Duce, otherwise known as Benito Mussolini. Disgusted with his racial policies and fearful of his connection with Hitler, Pius XI was preparing an encyclical along with a speech. Both would take a hard-line stance against Nazism and the anti-Jewish laws of Italy’s fascist regime.

Unfortunately for the world, on February 10, just days before the speech was to occur, the pope succumbed to his deteriorating health and died. Pacelli was immediately petitioned by representatives of Mussolini to put a stop to the printing and distribution of his predecessor’s speech. Pacelli agreed that it would be best to destroy any existing copies.

The papal conclave which followed saw Eugenio Pacelli elected as pope. He took the name Pius XII after his predecessor even though the two men shared very little in common in terms of personality and character.

Pope Pius XII was determined to be the pope of peace. He wanted to strengthen the church in terms of morality and piety. He was a conservative, in this way, and he viewed the church’s role as independent of nationalism. One day he’d give a speech based on Romans 13:1 which commands Christians to submit to the authority of their governments.

These early days of Pius XII’s papacy were prophetic of what was to come. His immediate withdrawal from his predecessor’s plans along with his focus on peace without regard to justice were early signs of how he’d manage the rest of the war.

While he generally demurred from taking political stances, Pius XII was anxious to participate in brokering peace. One of his first acts was to attempt to bring together a peace meeting. He was given platitudes by Mussolini and Hitler who ultimately rejected his idea, and no such meeting occurred.

But meetings of another sort did occur.

The secret files

When the Vatican first began releasing files on Pius XII in 1965, four Jesuit editors worked to actively expunge all evidence of the pope’s secret negotiations with Hitler. Then, in 2020, the Vatican unsealed millions of those original documents. Through these, we’ve learned of secret meetings between the pope and Hitler’s envoy, the so-called “Nazi Prince.”

The Nazi Prince was a prince named Phillipp von Hessen – one of Hitler’s trusted associates. Married to Princess Mafalda, daughter of the king of Italy, von Hessen had a foot in both nations and was active in helping maintain the relationship between Hitler and the pope.

The war escalates

In situations like this, there’s no such thing as neutrality. By insisting on silence, the pope was effectively choosing a side.

His pattern throughout the beginning of the war was to leave room for the churches in each nation to respond to their individual governments as they saw fit. His motto could easily have been, “It’s best to remain silent.”

The pope’s priorities during the war

While the pope remained silent on the issues of nations falling, soldiers dying, and innocent people being slaughtered, one subject he felt strongly enough to speak on was the issue of purity.

He gave a speech to 4,000 girls all dressed in white about the importance of fighting immorality. Throughout the war years, he continued to encourage young women to dress modestly and remain pure.

The tides turn

The landscape of the war began to change after the United States joined the Allies. In his third Christmas speech in 1942, the pope spoke out against the atrocities being committed by the Axis powers. Of course, it was couched in verbose sentences and located all the way on page 24 of his speech, so it didn’t make much of an impact.

Surrounding nations continued to criticize the pope despite his speech, which he found upsetting. For a pope so used to silence, he no doubt considered his speech to have been a hard and strong statement. It wasn’t.

Best to remain silent

When Italy surrendered conditionally to the Allies, allowing them to land on Italy’s southern tip, Germany rolled in and began occupying Italy to keep the Allies from advancing.

With Germans occupying Rome, Hitler’s policies of rounding up and exterminating Jewish people continued. In Rome, right outside Vatican City, Nazis gathered up over 1,200 people and kept them in an old college building for two days.

Final Summary

There is a time for silence and there are conditions under which peace should be pursued. But that time and those conditions didn’t exist from 1939 to 1943. Whether it was anti-Semitism, pacifism, or a combination of both that kept Pius XII silent during Hitler’s atrocities, it’s difficult to forgive that silence.

Millions of people died in the war, labor camps, or gas chambers while the leader of the largest, most powerful religious organization on Earth remained silent. It’s impossible not to wonder how things might have been different had he used his power to speak out against what was happening to the Jewish people.

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What is The Pope at War about?

The Pope at War (2022) follows the first years of Eugenio Pacelli’s papacy. Based on documents released by the Vatican in 2020, the book reveals the never-before-told story of the pope’s secret negotiations with Hitler.

The Pope at War Review

The Pope at War (2004) explores the role of Pope Pius XI during the rise of fascism in Italy and Nazi Germany. Here's why this book is worth reading:

Offers a fascinating insight into the inner workings of the Vatican and its political implications during a tumultuous time in history.
Presents a detailed account of the Pope's efforts to navigate complex diplomatic relations and maintain the Catholic Church's influence amidst growing authoritarian regimes.
Sheds light on the complex moral dilemmas the Pope faced, providing a nuanced understanding of the challenges he encountered during this critical period.

Who should read The Pope at War?

World War II history buffs
Students of Catholic history
Anyone interested in why good people do bad things

About the Author

David L. Kertzer is an award-winning author, anthropologist, and historian. His book The Pope and Mussolini won the Pulitzer Prize in 2015.

Categories with The Pope at War

History Religion & Spirituality

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