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A new book explains Pope Pius XII's silence during the Shoah — but does not excuse it

JL;DR SUMMARY David Kertzer's book, "The Pope at War," sheds light on Pope Pius XII's silence regarding the Nazi atrocities during World War II. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

HolocaustWorld War IiNazi GermanyPope Pius XiiVatican ArchivesJewish PersecutionDavid KertzerPapal SilenceChurch DiplomacyCommunism Threat

Places mentioned

Slovakia
"A bishop in Slovakia wrote to say that the countrys Jews are simply being shot systematically murdered, without distinction of sex or age."
Rome, Lazio, Italy
"October 16, 1943, was the roundup of the Jews of Rome, where over 1,000 were sent to Auschwitz, essentially to their death, and the pope kept silent."
United States
"the clerics refusal to confirm reports of Nazi mass murders to Franklin Roosevelt."
Germany
"A delay in opening papal archives is typical, though researchers had taken a particular interest in the wartime pope."
Italy
"Italy, under the control of the Germans and their puppet Italian Government, sent an order to all the police throughout the country ordering the arrest of all the Jews and sending them to concentration camps."

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Cairo Item ID 63914
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2025-10-16 05:31:24 UTC
Curated 2025-10-16 08:31:25 UTC