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Title: Hitler, the War, and the Pope by Ronald J. Rychlak ISBN: 0-87973-217-2 Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor Pub. Date: September, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.31 (26 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Truth will out
Comment: ... This book is not a malediction .., It is, rather, a rational, well-researched and brilliantly written review of the history of Europe from the end of World War I through World War II. The focus is, of course, on the work of Pope Pius XII, whose actions have been vilified by people who are not in possession of facts.
I believe the Catholic Church has been castigated more in this decade than in any in my lifetime. People who rise up in righteous indignation at criticisms of any segment of society, from gays to Jews to African-Americans, blithely sneer publicly at a faith that has deep meaning to millions around the world. It is, therefore, wonderful to read a book which is not only meticulously researched and end-noted, but is thoroughly readable.
Dr. Rychlak is, indeed, an attorney. Unlike the prose used in most case books, however, his is lucid and easily comprehended. ... the book is not a fanatical attac... Neither is it a defense of a villain, but instead, a rational exploration of the times: the politics, prejudices and irrationality that produced seven years of holocaust, death and destruction of vast areas of Europe.
It is interesting to note that in November 2000 a commission of three Catholic and three Jewish scholars called for the Vatican to open its entire historical archives of the period. The commission has studied 11 volumes of Vatican archive materials.
Commissioner Robert S. Wistrich, a theologian at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said, "This [opening] is something needed for clarity, not in order to pin something on Pius XII." Michael Marrus, a Jewish member of the commission from Toronto, said they were not just being diplomatic. The scholars have no intention of singling out Pius for moral judgment. He said, "I think the history of the Holy See is not much different from the history of any government or any group of officials."
This is clearly an on-going question that will undoubtedly be further clarified in years to come with ongoing research. Making Pius XII out to be a villain will not add any light to the question. Only rational exploration will bring closure...
Rating: 5
Summary: Lucid, Well-Reasoned Account, Superb Defense
Comment: Dr. Rychlak, a law professor, does a superb job of defending Pope Pius XII and the Catholic Church as a whole during the times of WWII. And, most admirably, he manages to perform this task with pure fact and reason. The title of the book alone suggests a well-thought examination, unlike the incendiary "Hitler's Pope" by John Cornwell.
With the acumen of a seasoned trial lawyer, Rychlak takes the case of the Vatican before the ultimate judge - the reading public. Taken into account with Cornwell's book, the defense ultimately prevails in my mind. Rychlak admits the church was not perfect, but did as much as it possibly could during those dark days from 1939 to 1945.
An interesting point to raise is that while the Catholic church has been attacked on all sides regarding the Holocaust in recent years, other major faiths in Europe have remained unassailed. This is not to shift the argument, but merely to point out that the Catholic church, surrounded on all sides by enemies, did much more than any other religious organization during the time.
Rychlak openly acknowledges the horror of the Holocaust, as everyone must. The repugnance of the atrocities was unparalled in human history, and no one escaped its influences. Some contributed positively toward ending this horrible chapter in human history, and others facilitated it. Rychlak lays to rest the argument that Pius XII aided and abetted the Nazis in their quest for Jewish extermination. The attitudes of the Jewish people and Israeli government following the war were extremely positive toward the Pope and the Church. Citing such facts, the author provides valuable material to redeem the tarnished image of Pope Pius XII.
Overall, this book is enlightening and informative to encounter. With other texts, and with all the opinions of the matter weighed in, it presents a good addition to the growing discussion seeking to rehabilitate the Catholic Church's image, which never deserved such criticsisim.
Rating: 5
Summary: What About Protestant America And Protestant Germany?
Comment: Ronald J. Rychlak's "Hitler, the War, and the Pope" is a fount of unimpeachable truth. It refutes completely the venomous accusations hurled at the Catholic Church in general, and Pope Pius XII in particular, concerning the Jews. Rychlak's book is sure to infuriate the anti-Catholic media, anti-Catholic "Christians", and all life forms that exist to attack the Church of Christ.
Indeed, unspoken yet real and critical questions are "What about Protestant America?", and "What about Protestant Germany?"
PROTESTANT AMERICA
How can anyone question what the militarily impotent Catholic Church did or did not to stop Hitler's extermination of the Jews, when militarily potent, Protestant America did NOTHING for so long? After all, the facts are unimpeachable, and quite sad:
1. Hitler invaded Poland in August 1939.
2. Two months later, in October 1939, Hitler started rounding up Jews in Poland and sending them to concentration camps.
3. Hitler then proceeded to invade Hungary and other countries, also rounding up the Jews there and sending them to concentration camps.
4. During 1939, 1940, and 1941, Hitler exterminated at least hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of Jews.
5. From October 1939 to December 1941, a span of 2 years and 2 months, during which Hitler was exterminating Jews, AMERICA DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
6. America in fact did not enter the war until December 1941.
7. And, America did NOT enter the war to save or help the Jews.
8. Rather, America entered the war solely because its naval fleet in the Pacific had been SUNK.
9. Thus, America entered the war for reasons having NOTHING to do with the extermination of the Jews that was (and for 2 years and 2 months had been) taking place in Europe.
Given these facts, how can anyone seriously question the actions of a militarily impotent Church without first - or at the same time - questioning the utter inaction of militarily potent America? As Stalin famously said, "How many divisions does the pope have?" None, of course. But, alas, that is irrelevant to the historically ignorant anti-Catholic.
PROTESTANT GERMANY
Likewise, how can anyone seriously question the actions of a Church based outside Germany, with only a minority of faithful in Germany, without first - or at the same time - questioning the actions of the majority Protestants in Germany? Once again, the facts are unimpeachable, and sad:
1. Germany was a PROTESTANT country.
2. Hitler was ELECTED by the German people.
3. In his electoral victory, Hitler received a MAJORITY of the German Protestant vote.
4. Yet, in his electoral victory, Hitler received only a MINORITY of the German Catholic vote.
5. Thus, Hitler came to power courtesy of German PROTESTANTS.
Given these facts, how can anyone seriously question the minority Catholic Church in Germany without first - or at the same time - questioning the majority Protestant churches in Germany? For instance, what did the German Protestant ministers, such as the Lutheran Bishops, know? And, when did they know it? And, what did they do, or not do, to stop the extermination of the Jews?
Clearly, all these "questions" being asked of the Catholic Church and Pius XII concerning the Jews should first be asked of Protestant America and Protestant Germany. This nonsense about the Catholic Church's alleged "silence" or "inaction" is more than just factually meritless. It is utterly hypocritical, and indeed hilariously so were it not so pathetic.
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Title: Pius XII and the Second World War: According to the Archives of the Vatican by Pierre Blet, Lawerence J. Johnson ISBN: 0809105039 Publisher: Paulist Press Pub. Date: November, 1999 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell ISBN: 0140296271 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 03 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Pius XII and the Holocaust: Understanding the Controversy by Jose M. Sanchez ISBN: 081321081X Publisher: Catholic University of America Press Pub. Date: 01 February, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965: by Michael Phayer ISBN: 0253214718 Publisher: Indiana University Press Pub. Date: 01 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The Catholic Church and Nazi Germany by Guenter Lewy ISBN: 0306809311 Publisher: Da Capo Press Pub. Date: 01 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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