What the Vatican archives reveal about ‘Hitler’s Pope’

What is the purpose of the Catholic Church? Is it a spiritual institution dedicated to saving souls and offering moral leader­ship to the world? Or is it a multibillion-pound organisation anxious to protect its wealth and power? Or, if it is a bit of both, what is more important: morality or pragmatism?

A controversial figure: Pope Pius XII secretly negotiated with Hitler - Bettmann© Bettmann

These are the questions at the heart of David Kertzer’s magnificent The Pope at War, an examination of one of the most contentious religious figures of recent times, Eugenio Pacelli, who became Pope Pius XII in March 1939. Kertzer won the Pulitzer Prize in 2015 for The Pope and Mussolini, which focused on the Italian dictator’s dealings with Pacelli’s predecessor as Pope, Pius XI, and this new book is every bit as good.

Pius XII is controversial – in some quarters, notorious – because he never publicly condemned the extermination of the Jews during the Second World War. With access to the newly opened Vatican archives, and in calm, unhurried prose, Kertzer’s book ought to silence any future debate about him: based on the evidence presented here, there can no longer be any doubt – as a moral leader, Pius XII was a disaster.

Part of the reason was the Pope’s character – he was naturally timid – but Kertzer also reveals that there was a whiff of anti-Semitism around the Vatican during the war. In March 1943 – after the extermination of the Jews was known about – Monsignor Giuseppe Di Meglio wrote in a report entitled “Palestine and the Jews” that “most Jews are mainly dedicated to industry and, for the most part, commerce. This commerce remains quite profitable for them when they find themselves living among Christians. If, on the contrary, all and only the Jews come together, one has an enormous gathering… of swindlers, while lacking those to be swindled. Therefore, most Jews had no desire to migrate to Palestine.” The report was subsequently seen by the Pope, and there is no evidence that he was outraged by the anti-Semitic slurs within it.

Anti-Semitism in the Vatican wasn’t just confined to individual clerics. Francis D’Arcy Osborne, the British envoy to the Vatican, wrote in a 1938 dispatch to the British Foreign Secretary that Lenin had benefited from “the mental agility, the cynical adaptability and the amoral ingenuity of the Jew”.

But Kertzer also demonstrates Osborne’s subsequent outrage at the Holocaust, writing in December 1942 of “the unprecedented crime against humanity of Hitler’s campaign of extermination of the Jews”. Osborne was appalled at the Pope’s lack of protest at Nazi atrocities, saying in September 1942: “A policy of silence in regard to such offences… must necessarily involve a renunciation of moral leadership and a consequent atrophy of the influence and authority of the Vatican.”

In his Christmas address on December 24 1942, the Pope did make one reference to the “hundreds of thousands of people who, through no fault of their own and solely because of their nation or their race, have been condemned to death or progressive extinction”.

But because he didn’t mention the Jews by name, these words could be taken to refer to the actions of a number of different nations – the Pope had a well-known fear of communism, for example, so he could have been condemning Stalin’s crimes. Kertzer reveals that “Osborne subsequently wrote that the Pope seemed ‘pained and surprised’ that these words had not satisfied those who had been calling on him to speak out”.

Both Hitler and Mussolini were – nominally, at least – Catholics themselves. But the Pope never moved to excommunicate them, nor to threaten to excommunicate the Catholic Germans who took part in the killing of Jews. Part of the reason may have been that he was worried speaking out might mean Hitler would escalate his campaign against Catholicism. Many churches in Poland had already been closed and Catholic priests sent to concentration camps. Perhaps he feared that even the Vatican, the immensely wealthy heart of the church, was at risk.

However, as Kertzer points out, there were Catholic priests who did take a stand against the Nazis. Some, for instance, tried to help Jews by hiding them on church property. While the Pope did not prevent them doing this, he wasn’t exactly encouraging, either.

Pope Pius XII met with Allied soldiers shortly after Rome was liberated in June 1944 - PhotoQuest/Getty Images© Provided by The Telegraph

Kertzer could have mentioned, by contrast, Bishop von Galen, who gave a sermon in Münster in Germany in August 1941 denouncing a different Nazi atrocity: the killing of the severely disabled. Significantly, although Hitler was furious at von Galen, he did not act against him for fear of alienating the local German population.

We can’t be certain, of course, what Hitler would have done if the Pope had protested openly about the fate of the Jews. What we do know for sure is that, if Pius XII had spoken out, he would have rendered humanity a service that we would still be celebrating today. Instead, unlike the long list of martyred Catholic saints who endured hideous tortures in defence of their moral and spiritual beliefs, Pius XII chose to remain silent.

The Pope at War is a long book, but unlike many scholarly works it is readily accessible to the general reader. Kertzer is a gifted writer, and the chapters are short and punchy. He is also to be congratulated on avoiding polemic. It would have been easy, given the evidence, to have suffused the pages with moral outrage. But because he lays the facts bare and presents all sides of the argument, he lets readers come to their own conclusion. And that conclusion ought to be a devastating one: Pius XII’s prime concern during the war wasn’t offering moral leadership, but protecting the interests of the Catholic Church.

The material from the newly opened Vatican archives largely speaks for itself. For example, several months prior to the outbreak of the war, the Pope was secretly negotiating with Hitler a better accommodation between the Nazis and the Catholic Church. The Nazis’ intermediary was a German aristocrat called Prince Philipp von Hessen. At their first meeting in May 1939, Pius XII, who had spent time in Germany and was fond of the country, told von Hessen that “No one here is anti-German. We love Germany. We are pleased if Germany is great and powerful. And we do not oppose any particular form of government, if only the Catholics can live in accordance with their religion.”

These remarks, we must remember, were made just months after the Nazis had unleashed a torrent of violence against German Jews during Kristallnacht. And even after the Germans had invaded Poland in the autumn of 1939 and committed a series of new atrocities, the Pope ended another secret meeting with von Hessen by asking that his “warm greetings” be conveyed to the Führer. Ultimately, these secret negotiations came to nothing, but they are the background against which we should see the Pope’s public silence during the war about the Holocaust. What a tragedy, the reader might think after finishing this groundbreaking book, that the Pope did not “love” the Jews as much as he “loved Germany”.

The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler by David I. Kertzer is published by Oxford University Press at £25. To order your copy for £19.99 call 0844 871 1514 or visit Telegraph Books

Reference: The TelegrapH: Laurence Rees 

Vatican launches preliminary investigation into French Catholic cardinal

The Vatican announced Friday it will be looking into the allegations that a member of its department that sanctions abuse cases in the Catholic Church sexually abused a 14-year-old more than 40 years ago.

Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard confessed Monday that he kissed the teenage girl whose parents made the allegations as soon as he was appointed into a department investigating a Catholic association that runs foster homes. The cardinal is a voting member of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which adjudicates sexual abuse cases involving clergy.

“As a result of the elements that have emerged in the last few days and the statement made by the cardinal, in order to complete the examination of what happened, it has been decided to initiate an [preliminary investigation],” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.

Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard said on Nov. 7, 2022, that he had abused a 14-year-old girl 35 years ago and is withdrawing from his functions. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)© Provided by Washington Examiner

Bruni went on to say the person “with the necessary autonomy, impartiality and experience is now being evaluated" to head the investigation while "also in view of the fact that the French judicial authorities have an open file on the case.” As is standard procedure, the Vatican's investigation will not begin until the French authorities have closed their case against Ricard.

Reference: Washington Examiner: Jenny Goldsberry -

The Holiest Sites In Islam

Islam is one of the most popular religions in the world. Behind Christianity, it is the most widespread and practiced religion with more than 1 billion followers, and it has expanded considerably since its origins in Mecca (per "The Complete Illustrated Guide to Islam"). Practitioners of Islam are referred to as Muslims, and the language of Islam is called Arabic. The founder of Islam was the Prophet Muhammad, who created the religion in the early seventh century.

The Prophet Muhammad is the most important figure in Islam, and his teachings are seen as a guide by Muslims on how they should behave and lead their own lives. The central and most sacred religious text in Islam is known as the Quran (or Koran), which was received by Muhammad from God. Apart from the Quran, there are many important Islamic sites that Muslims visit in order to pray and feel connected with Islamic religious history. Many of these sites are located in modern-day Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Palestine, but there are countless others spread throughout the Middle East, and indeed the entire world. Let's take a deeper look at some of the holiest sites in Islam.

The Kaaba: The Holiest Site In Islam

Muslims touching Black Stone© Andrew V Marcus/Shutterstock

Of all the sacred and important sites in Islam, the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia is by far the holiest. As John L. Esposito explains in "What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam," the Kaaba is particularly revered by Muslims due to its connections with the Judeo-Christian patriarch Abraham (Ibrāhīm in Islam). According to Muslims, inside the cube-shaped Kaaba is the sacred Black Stone. Per Islamic legend, the Black Stone is an ancient meteorite representative of God's covenant with Ibrāhīm.

The Kaaba, which means House of God, is thought to have been first built by Adam (the first biblical human) and is thus the oldest house of worship for the Judeo-Christian God in the world. The original structure was destroyed by the biblical flood and was eventually taken over by the Quraysh tribe. Muhammad is said to have cleansed the Kaaba of the Quraysh's idols and polytheism, thus reclaiming the site for Judeo-Christianity. He placed the Black Stone at the Kaaba as a testament to faith.

Today, Muslims recreate Muhammad's journey to the Kaaba as part of a pilgrimage known as Hajj. They consider the Kaaba to be the Earth's spiritual center, and it is considered a sacred and mandatory duty by all Muslims to perform the Hajj and visit Mecca during their lifetime. Roughly two million Muslims embark on the Hajj annually, and the Kaaba is the first stop on their journey once in Mecca.

The Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām: The Great Mosque Of Mecca

Muslims performing ṭawāf© Leo Morgan/Shutterstock

Housing the holiest site in Islam, the Kaaba, is the Great Mosque of Mecca. Its Arabic name is al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, which means Holy Mosque or Haram Mosque (via Britannica). It is located in the heart of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and hosts millions of visitors every year. In addition to the Kaaba, worshippers also visit the Zamzam Well in the mosque, as well as the ancient al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah hills surrounding it. As part of the Hajj, worshippers gather in the Great Mosque's courtyard and walk in a circle around the Kaaba as a ritual celebration called ṭawāf.

Most of the Great Mosque was built in the recent past, with the oldest parts belonging to the 16th century. The original mosque was first built in 638 C.E. by some of the earliest Muslims, but there have been constant renovations since. The 20th century saw the most dramatic modernization improvements to the Great Mosque, with comforts like air conditioning, electricity, and a PA system being added.

Another important part of the Great Mosque is the Station of Ibrāhīm (Abraham), also known as the Maqām Ibrāhīm. According to the Islamic cultural website The Pilgrim, the Station of Ibrāhīm is a rock that Ibrahim stood on when he was building the Kaaba with his son Ismail. The rock miraculously rose out of the ground to help Ibrāhīm build the wall.

Ḥaram Al-ʾImām ʿAlī: The Mosque Of Alī

The Mosque of Ali© CameraAction/Shutterstock

For Shia Muslims, one of their holiest sites is the Ḥaram al-ʾImām ʿAlī, or the Imam Alī Holy Shrine (also known as the Mosque of Alī) in Najaf, Iraq. According to the "Illustrated Muslim Dictionary of the World," the tombs of biblical patriarchs Noah and Adam are located within the shrine along with Alī, which was first built in the 10th century by Persians. The reason the site is so holy for Shia Muslims is that it is the site where Imam Alī was killed in the seventh century.

Imam Alī is one of the most important figures in Shia Islam (per Britannica). He was the son-in-law and cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and the final of his first four successors. His reign was tumultuous, to say the least, and he consistently had to deal with disputes and internal rebellions. In 661 C.E., Alī was murdered by a poisoned sword, becoming a Shia martyr. He is revered by Shia Muslims due to his connection to Muhammad and is considered by them to be the first Imam — or first descendant of Muhammad.

The site of the Mosque of Alī is built directly where Alī was assassinated — hence its incredible significance for Muslims. Since the mid-20th century, the mosque has unfortunately been occupied at various times by political and military forces, but it is still an important religious site for Shia worshippers.

The Imam Ḥusayn Shrine In Karbala

Husayn Shrine in Karbala at night© SyedSamarAbbas/Shutterstock

Another incredibly sacred and holy spot for Shia Muslims is the Imam Ḥusayn Shrine in Karbala, Iraq. According to Britannica, Ḥusayn was the son of Alī, and he did not recognize the authority of his father's posthumous successor, Muʿāwiyah, his son, Yazīd, or the Umayyad Caliphate. While marching to reclaim the Islamic caliphate in favor of Alī's line, Ḥusayn was killed at Karbala in 680 C.E., making him forever a martyr to Shia Muslims. He is considered the third Imam by Shia Islams, after his father Alī and older brother Ḥasan.

Following his death, Muslims started to visit his grave ritualistically, and eventually, the city of Karbala was built surrounding it (per the Islamic cultural website al-Islam). Shia Muslims from around the world visit the Imam Ḥusayn Shrine, and many worshippers traverse the area between Ḥusayn's shrine in Karbala and his father's shrine in Najaf as a spiritual pilgrimage. Within four years of his death, there was already a mosque built over his grave, and it was the site of constant construction and subsequent destruction for centuries. The entire shrine sits on an incredible 4,425 meters of space and has 10 gates, 65 rooms, various tombs, and a garden.

Al-Masjid An-Nabawi: The Prophet Muhammad's Mosque

Muhammad's Mosque in Medina© Mohamed Reedi/Shutterstock

Besides the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the second holiest place among all Muslims is the Prophet Muhammad's Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Per "The Oxford Dictionary of Islam," Muhammad's Mosque was the first mosque to be built in Islam, and it was Muhammad who built it. He and his family lived in the mosque when they first moved to Medina, and it was also a spiritual and religious center where he would lead prayers. His remains are buried in the mosque and have been there since he died in the seventh century. 

Chandler Stark: Reference: Grunge: 

Radical Hindu leader shot dead in full public view in India

A radical Hindu leader was shot dead on Friday in full public view in Punjab in north India, it was reported.

Sudhir Suri, 58, head of the fundamentalist religious group called Hindu Shiv Sena, was shot in Amritsar, the local police said.

In the past, Suri had been accused of making derogatory and blasphemous comments against Sikhism and the Sikh community.

A senior police officer Arun Pal Singh told news agencies that “the assailant arrived on the spot and shot him dead in full public view”, adding that the radical leader had been shot several times.

Police later said that a local shopkeeper, Sandeep Singh, was arrested in connection with the shooting.

Punjab director general of police, Gaurav Yadav, was quoted as saying by the BBC that “whosoever is behind it and whosoever hatched the conspiracy will be unveiled and those who are behind it will be arrested”.

Reference: Independent: Maroosha Muzaffar