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Summary: 800,000 trees
Review: 50 years ago 800,000 trees were planted by the Israeli government in honor of Pope Pius XII and the 800,000 Jews he and the Catholic church saved from the evils of Nazism. Holocaust survivors and other Jews of the time were grateful to the Catholic church for its role in saving their lives, as are those who are honest and accept truth rather than fiction. It's only the revisionist history fueled by today's rabid anti-Catholics that perverse the truth. Rychlak's book is an unbiased, intelligent, factual account of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
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Summary: Finally something objective!
Review: A lot of books have bashed Pope Pius XII for not taking a harder line agienst both Hitler and his little buddy El Duche. To stand there and constanly attack the man, probably the most popular Pope of the 20th century with the exception of the 2 John Pauls, is totally without merit. To attack a man for what he DIDN'T do is not history. In my opinion such a tactic lies somewhere between aggitation and slander. Now sit back and ask yourselves what could the Pope have done? A. Openly help to smuggle out jews and others thereby putting himself and the whole population of Rome in danger B. Arm the Vatican guard? maybe somehow overthrow the German puppet goverment? Or what he really did C. Niether help nor hinder but be willing to look the other way if a priest or a friar took some independent action If you want to see another item that deals with this problem check out the Gregory Peck film "The Scarlet and Black" You did a wonderful job Mr. Rychlak
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Summary: Superb! Corrects the injustices written about Pope Pius XII
Review: ALthough Rychlak tends to ramble a bit, and focus occasionally on the actions or sufferings of individual priests and bishops, he supplies what is needed most of all in the controversy over Pius XII: objective, historical fact. His extensive research and footnoting lends a great deal of scholarly support to his position. The best part of the book, in my mind, was the epilogue, where Rychlak took on Cornwell point for point, and proved Cornwell wrong.
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Summary: At worst the catholic Church was neutral.
Review: As i said above that at its worse the vatican was neutral during the Holocaust, and it gets critism. But what of the United States? Many do not know all the united states had done during the war to ensure that jews stayed in Europe, and out of America as they tried to flee the Nazis. Anti-Semetic immigration laws...even ordering the silence of American Jews that knew the Holocaust was going on before the american public. Sorry, but i see too much prejudice to take american criticism of the Vatican too seriously.
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Summary: New book corrects injustice done to Pope Pius XII
Review: Every once in awhile an extraordinary book appears and this is one of them. Rychlak, who is associate dean for academic affairs and professor of law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, has written a definitive popular history of the papacy of Pope Pius XII during the Nazi era. His work is an honest portrait of a decent man who vehemently opposed Adolf Hitler and his minions with courage and heroism. Rychlak agrees that a great injustice has been done in our time to Pius XII by recent books which have attacked his character and his actions. It is significant that many of these books are authored by Catholics or by former Catholics-none by Jews. Rychlak, as an expert trial lawyer, has skillfully collected a massive body of evidence to vindicate the memory of Pius XII, leaving the reader free to make final judgment upon his character and integrety. Rychlak points out that the real quarrel of "disaffected Catholics" is with the "Catholic theological principle of papal authority in matters of faith and morals." In the epilogue, he critiques a book written by a former Catholic, John Cornwell, who gave it the vile title of "Hitler's Pope," a book which spreads half-truths and insinuations that tarnish Pius XII's name and record. Cornwell uses dubious material, like a play called "The Deputy" (1963), to portray the pope as "silent" in the face of the Holocaust; as an anti-Semite, and as a Nazi sympathizer. In effect,Cornwell's anti-Catholic bigotry becomes part of a larger effort to weaken the moral and cultural influence of the Catholic Church by undermining the credibility of the papacy. In the afterward, professor Robert P. George explains that the Catholic Church with its papacy is "the single most potent force on the side of traditional morality in cultural conflicts with Communism, Nazism, radical individualism and other major secular ideologies." Rychlak buries the lies, the half-truths, and the insinuations against Pius XII with an avalanche of facts. He demonstrates that Pius XII's reputation deserves to be restored as it was during the war when The New York Times -more than once- praised him as "a lonely voice crying out of the silence of a continent"; as it was after the war when the Grand Rabbi of Jerusalem, Isaac Herzog, sent the pope a special blessing for "his life-saving efforts on behalf of the Jews"; and as it was at his death in 1958 when Golda Meir, the Prime Minister of Israel,observed that "during the 10 years of Nazi terror, when the Jewish people went through the horrors of martyrdom, the pope raised his voice to condemn the persecutors and to commiserate with their victims." Rychlak's book should be read by all--most especially by Catholics and Jews--for the wealth of information that is presented so well. He points out, for example, how a photograph on the jacket cover of "Hitler's Pope" leads people to believe that Pope Pius XII was being saluted by Nazi soldiers while leaving a building. Actually, the photograph was taken in 1927-years before Hitler ever came to power and while Pius XII was still apostolic nuncio to Germany. The soldiers were Weimark Republic soldiers and not Nazi soldiers. Another person in the photograph, appearing to look like a S.S. Officer, is merely a chauffer saluting the apostolic nuncio, Eugenio Pacelli, who was returning to his car. It is interesting to note that the car door, which the chauffer was holding open with his other hand, has been carefully cropped away. This touched up photograph was deliberately taken out of context, when Cornwell placed his vile title under it to imply that Pius XII was in sympathy with Hitler and the Nazis. "Unfortunately, this is not the only dishonest aspect of the book," Rychlak writes. Perhaps the most important piece of evidence unearthed by Rychlak is a quote from The New York Times which praises Pius XII's Christmas sermon of 1942: "The pulpit whence he speaks is more than ever like the rock on which the Church was founded, a tiny island lashed and surrounded by a sea of war. In these circumstances, in any circumstances, indeed, no one would expect the pope to speak as a political leader, or a war leader, or in any other role than that of a preacher ordained to stand above the battle, tied impartially, as he says, to all people and willing to collaborate in any new order which will bring a just peace." This editorial was wrong about one thing. There are today some misguided people who condemn Pius XII for not speaking the way a political leader or a war leader would speak. I highly recommend this book. There are 129 pages of detailed endnotes, 14 pages of bibliography and nine pages in a well-ordered index. Readers will find the writing style easy to follow. Chapter 18 (entitled "Questions and Answers") is excellent because of the many serious issues treated, such as, "Would a statement by the pope have diminished Jewish suffering?" In summary, this is a good, solid book on the papacy and the wider Jewish community during the Nazi era that, at last, provides reasonable answers to many difficult questions. [Fr.John Keane,SA, a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, whose headquarters are at Graymoor, Garrison, NY, recently concluded his service as director of ecumenical and interreligious affairs for the Diocese of Sacremento. This review originally appeared in the Catholic Herald, Sacramento, CA.]
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Summary: What About Protestant America And Protestant Germany?
Review: If you are looking for a well documented historical account of the situation between the Catholic Church and the Third Reich, you will find this book goes straight to the facts, names names, times, places, and events. This book completely shuns sensationalism, has impeccible research, and refutes inferior books such as 'Hitler's Pope' by John Cornwell.
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Summary: Excellent Historical Analysis of the Church During the War
Review: Once again another book on this difficult and for some painful subject of Pope Pius's role preceding as well as during the holocaust. The author makes a case for the defence of Pius both in terms of actual efforts made to protect and assist Jewish victims as well as the reason why it was necessary for the Vatican to remain silent lest they make the suffering of others worse. The book is extremely useful in terms of sketching a personal history of Pius as well as the world in which he lived both as Vatican secretary of state and later as Pope. The author flags up numerous instances in which the Pope used his office to help the victims of racial policies both inside Italy and across Nazi dominated Europe. He uses the example of the Dutch Catholic Bishops condemnation of the Nazi policies towards the Jewish people in that country, which resulted in even tougher, measures being introduced as one reason why Vatican silence was in fact wise. The author also indicates very strongly how in fact Hitler had considered invading the Vatican and removing the Pope from Rome. One criticism is the many different ways the author bases his defence of the Pope by pointing out that Pius was no supporter of the Nazis and was in fact on record as saying that they were worse that Stalin's communist's. The only difficulty with this argument is that nobody really believes that Pius was in fact a supporter of Hitler but was by his silence during the holocaust one less element of restraint against the genocide. Other authors have attempted to base the attack on Pius's pro or anti Nazi credentials. This approach misses the point which is what did he say and what did he do and was it useful and proportional to the circumstances which existed. In conclusion it would not be appropriate to say that I enjoyed this book given the subject involved however it is interesting in its historical perspective from the standpoint of the church in the years prior to and during the war.
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Summary: A trial-lawyer's brief
Review: Professor Rychlak teaches trial law at the Law School, and approaches the accusations against Pope Pius XII as a trial lawyer. I have read many books on Pius XII, and this is by far the most dispassionate in laying out the context, relevant facts, accusations, and evidence pro- and con-. The book is highly engaging because filled with so many little known facts. The research has been prodigious. Yet the presentation is as down-to-earth as it would have to be in a courtroom. Only in the appendix, in a detailed rebuttal to John Cornwell's duplicitous presentation, does Rychlak's contempt for poor work show through. This is a book anyone interested in a fair judgment must read. It offers many suggestions for further reading and research. Rychlak does not conclude that Pius XII was a saint, though he does show that he was ready for martyrdom. Pius XII himself worried that in following the course he did follow--condemning racist and genocidal theories and violent actions, and ordering religous houses to shelter victims and save as many as possible (as many as 860,000 by one Jewish estimate)--he did not go far enough. But he clung to his best practical judgment about what would save most, and imperil least, and trusted God for the rest. It is possible to say he could have done more. But it is also easy, especially in hindsight, knowing how events turned out and having research then not available. This is a wonderfully realistic book.
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Summary: What About Protestant America And Protestant Germany?
Review: Ronald J. Rychlak's "Hitler, the War, and the Pope" is a fount of unimpeachable truth. It refutes completely the venomous accusations hurled at the Catholic Church in general, and Pope Pius XII in particular, concerning the Jews. Rychlak's book is sure to infuriate the anti-Catholic media, anti-Catholic "Christians", and all life forms that exist to attack the Church of Christ. Indeed, unspoken yet real and critical questions are "What about Protestant America?", and "What about Protestant Germany?" PROTESTANT AMERICA How can anyone question what the militarily impotent Catholic Church did or did not to stop Hitler's extermination of the Jews, when militarily potent, Protestant America did NOTHING for so long? After all, the facts are unimpeachable, and quite sad: 1. Hitler invaded Poland in August 1939.
2. Two months later, in October 1939, Hitler started rounding up Jews in Poland and sending them to concentration camps.
3. Hitler then proceeded to invade Hungary and other countries, also rounding up the Jews there and sending them to concentration camps.
4. During 1939, 1940, and 1941, Hitler exterminated at least hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of Jews.
5. From October 1939 to December 1941, a span of 2 years and 2 months, during which Hitler was exterminating Jews, AMERICA DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
6. America in fact did not enter the war until December 1941.
7. And, America did NOT enter the war to save or help the Jews. 8. Rather, America entered the war solely because its naval fleet in the Pacific had been SUNK.
9. Thus, America entered the war for reasons having NOTHING to do with the extermination of the Jews that was (and for 2 years and 2 months had been) taking place in Europe. Given these facts, how can anyone seriously question the actions of a militarily impotent Church without first - or at the same time - questioning the utter inaction of militarily potent America? As Stalin famously said, "How many divisions does the pope have?" None, of course. But, alas, that is irrelevant to the historically ignorant anti-Catholic. PROTESTANT GERMANY Likewise, how can anyone seriously question the actions of a Church based outside Germany, with only a minority of faithful in Germany, without first - or at the same time - questioning the actions of the majority Protestants in Germany? Once again, the facts are unimpeachable, and sad: 1. Germany was a PROTESTANT country.
2. Hitler was ELECTED by the German people.
3. In his electoral victory, Hitler received a MAJORITY of the German Protestant vote.
4. Yet, in his electoral victory, Hitler received only a MINORITY of the German Catholic vote.
5. Thus, Hitler came to power courtesy of German PROTESTANTS. Given these facts, how can anyone seriously question the minority Catholic Church in Germany without first - or at the same time - questioning the majority Protestant churches in Germany? For instance, what did the German Protestant ministers, such as the Lutheran Bishops, know? And, when did they know it? And, what did they do, or not do, to stop the extermination of the Jews? Clearly, all these "questions" being asked of the Catholic Church and Pius XII concerning the Jews should first be asked of Protestant America and Protestant Germany. This nonsense about the Catholic Church's alleged "silence" or "inaction" is more than just factually meritless. It is utterly hypocritical, and indeed hilariously so were it not so pathetic.
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Summary: Rychlak Is Not A Catholic
Review: Thoroughly researched, thoroughly reliable. Rychlak has extensive familiarity with primary sources and he sticks to the incontrovertible facts.
Please note, in reading some reviews published here, the animosity towards Christianity expressed by several people who obviously haven't read the book. This is a subject that should be approached with a cool head, an acknowledgement of the complexity of the situation, and a willingness to be truthful and fair; Rychlak has done just fine on all counts.
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