Unholy war - David I. Kertzer

The shocking story of the Catholic Church's role in the persecution of the Jews.During the Holocaust, as millions of Jews were being murdered, Pope Pius XII could never bring himself even to utter publicly the word 'Jew'. But David Kertzer argues that this failure to intervene was not the result of the singular personality of an immoral pope, but a reflection of a pervasive culture of Vatican anti-Semitism, created over centuries. In this powerful investigation, Kertzer argues that the Roman Catholic Church's role in the historical hatred and persecution of Jews in Europe helped make the Holocaust possible. Focusing on the popes, cardinals, bishops, priests and the laity, who were convinced that they were doing God's work, his dispassionate narrative reveals how traditional Catholic forms of dealing with Jews were transformed into modern anti-Semitism.Using research based on Vatican archive documents that have never been seen before, The Unholy War strongly contradicts the Vatican's own account of its history. Compellingly written, it sheds light on a remarkable and disturbing story that until now has remained hidden. Praise for 'The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara':'A masterly historical exegesis . . . His detail is superb, and his quiet but firm grip on the central issues a model of dispassion and lucidity.' The Times