Originally published 2000 | ||
 | ||
Similar Michael Phayer books, Pope Pius XII books, Other books | ||
The Catholic Church and the Holocaust (1930–1965) is a book written by American historian Michael Phayer on the topic of Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust. It was published in 2000.
Helping Jews privately but not publicly
According to Robert A. Krieg, from the University of Notre Dame, this book is "an invaluable contribution to understanding the Catholic Church and the Holocaust." Phayer's main thesis, says Krieg, is that Pius XII privately helped Jews only to the extent that his efforts did not jeopardize two priorities in his foreign policy:
First, judging that the Church's primary enemy was not Nazism but Communism, the Pope wanted to maintain good ties with Germans and their government so that he could work with them to resist the spread of Communism into Europe. Second, concerned to protect Rome from destruction during the war, he did not want to say anything that might bring down the Luftwaffe's bombs upon Vatican City".