Pius XII

The documentation doesn’t appear to shed any new light on the role of Pope Pius XII during the Nazi occupation of Rome.

They shed new light on Pope Pius XII’s relationship with Nazi Germany, following years of debate about appropriate rules for public disclosure.

David Kertzer, author of “The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler,” said Pope Benedict had not dug deep into the Catholic Church’s conduct during the war.

The pope said two of his predecessors, Pope Pius XII and Saint Pope Paul VI, had each signed similar letters in case of permanent impairment.

Yet Pius XII, hesitant and often out of touch with hard realities, believed he could negotiate with a man he perceived as a needed bulwark against communism.