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The Pope at War
- The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins
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Publisher's summary
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER •
“The most important book ever written about the Catholic Church and its conduct during World War II.”—Daniel Silva
“Kertzer brings all of his usual detective and narrative skills to [The Pope at War] . . . the most comprehensive account of the Vatican’s relations to the Nazi and fascist regimes before and during the war.”—The Washington Post
“Tolstoyan.”—Cynthia Ozick
Based on newly opened Vatican archives, a groundbreaking, explosive, and riveting book about Pope Pius XII and his actions during World War II, including how he responded to the Holocaust, by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Pope and Mussolini
WINNER OF THE JULIA WARD HOWE AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD • A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, his papers were sealed in the Vatican Secret Archives, leaving unanswered questions about what he knew and did during World War II. Those questions have only grown and festered, making Pius XII one of the most controversial popes in Church history, especially now as the Vatican prepares to canonize him.
In 2020, Pius XII’s archives were finally opened, and David I. Kertzer—widely recognized as one of the world’s leading Vatican scholars—has been mining this new material ever since, revealing how the pope came to set aside moral leadership in order to preserve his church’s power.
Based on thousands of never-before-seen documents not only from the Vatican, but from archives in Italy, Germany, France, Britain, and the United States, The Pope at War paints a new, dramatic portrait of what the pope did and did not do as war enveloped the continent and as the Nazis began their systematic mass murder of Europe’s Jews. The book clears away the myths and sheer falsehoods surrounding the pope’s actions from 1939 to 1945, showing why the pope repeatedly bent to the wills of Hitler and Mussolini.
Just as Kertzer’s Pulitzer Prize–winning The Pope and Mussolini became the definitive book on Pope Pius XI and the Fascist regime, The Pope at War is destined to become the most influential account of his successor, Pius XII, and his relations with Mussolini and Hitler. Kertzer shows why no full understanding of the course of World War II is complete without knowledge of the dramatic, behind-the-scenes role played by the pope. “This remarkably researched book is replete with revelations that deserve the adjective ‘explosive,’” says Kevin Madigan, Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard University. “The Pope at War is a masterpiece.”
Critic reviews
“A masterly character study of a flawed, tormented leader and a cautionary tale about the perils of both-sides-ism.”—The New Yorker
“Kertzer brings all of his usual detective and narrative skills to [The Pope at War] . . . the most comprehensive account of the Vatican’s relations to the Nazi and fascist regimes before and during the war.”—The Washington Post
“Kertzer has spent decades excavating the Vatican’s hidden history . . . [His] new book . . . documents the private decision-making that led Pope Pius XII to stay essentially silent about Hitler’s genocide and argues that the pontiff’s impact on the war is underestimated. And not in a good way.”—The New York Times
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In this gripping narrative, Ben Macintyre tackles one of the most famous prison stories in history and makes it utterly his own. During World War II, the German army used the towering Colditz Castle to hold the most defiant Allied prisoners. For four years, these prisoners of the castle tested its walls and its guards with ingenious escape attempts that would become legend. But as Macintyre shows, the story of Colditz was about much more than escape.
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Another chapter of history brought to life by a master
- By Steve on 09-28-22
By: Ben Macintyre
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The Wages of Destruction
- The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy
- By: Adam Tooze
- Narrated by: Adam Tooze, Simon Vance
- Length: 30 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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An extraordinary mythology has grown up around the Third Reich that hovers over political and moral debate even today. Adam Tooze's controversial book challenges the conventional economic interpretations of that period.
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Ties the story together in an amazing way
- By Philo on 08-23-21
By: Adam Tooze
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Last Witnesses
- An Oral History of the Children of World War II
- By: Svetlana Alexievich, Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky
- Narrated by: Julia Emelin, Allen Lewis Rickman
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Bringing together dozens of voices in her distinctive style, Last Witnesses is Alexievich’s collection of the memories of those who were children during World War II. They had sometimes been soldiers as well as witnesses, and their generation grew up with the trauma of the war deeply embedded - a trauma that would change the course of the Russian nation. Collectively, this symphony of children’s stories, filled with the everyday details of life in combat, reveals an altogether unprecedented view of the war.
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And how many years to forget?
- By Darwin8u on 09-16-21
By: Svetlana Alexievich, and others
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The Three Lives of James Madison
- Genius, Partisan, President
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 34 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Over the course of his life, James Madison changed the United States three times: First, he designed the Constitution, led the struggle for its adoption and ratification, then drafted the Bill of Rights. As an older, cannier politician, he cofounded the original Republican party, setting the course of American political partisanship. Finally, having pioneered a foreign policy based on economic sanctions, he took the United States into a high-risk conflict, becoming the first wartime president and, despite the odds, winning.
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Cogently organized, meticulously balanced
- By Diana Black Kennedy on 06-15-18
By: Noah Feldman
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My Fellow Soldiers
- General John Pershing and the Americans Who Helped Win the Great War
- By: Andrew Carroll
- Narrated by: Andrew Carroll
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Andrew Carroll's intimate portrait of General Pershing, who led all of the American troops in Europe during World War I, is a revelation. Given a military force that on the eve of its entry into the war was downright primitive compared to the European combatants, the general surmounted enormous obstacles to build an army and ultimately command millions of US soldiers. But Pershing himself - often perceived as a harsh, humorless, and wooden leader - concealed inner agony from those around him.
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Don’t pass this up
- By PineappleSmoothy on 03-29-18
By: Andrew Carroll
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The Collaborators
- Three Stories of Deception and Survival in World War II
- By: Ian Buruma
- Narrated by: Ian Buruma
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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On the face of it, the three characters in this book seem to have little in common—aside from the fact that each committed wartime acts that led some to see them as national heroes, and others as villains. All three were mythmakers, larger-than-life storytellers, for whom the truth was beside the point. Felix Kersten was a plump Finnish pleasure-seeker who became Heinrich Himmler’s indispensable personal masseur—Himmler calling him his “magic Buddha.”
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Fantastic
- By Andrew M Ward on 08-28-23
By: Ian Buruma
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Aftermath
- Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955
- By: Harald Jähner, Shaun Whiteside - translator
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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How does a nation recover from fascism and turn toward a free society once more? This internationally acclaimed revelatory history of the transformational decade that followed World War II illustrates how Germany raised itself out of the ashes of defeat and reckoned with the corruption of its soul and the horrors of the Holocaust - and features over 40 eye-opening black-and-white photographs and posters from the period.
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Where are the photos?
- By Cassandra on 01-17-22
By: Harald Jähner, and others
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The Pope Who Would Be King
- The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe
- By: David I. Kertzer
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Only two years after Pope Pius IX’s election in 1846 had triggered great popular enthusiasm across Italy, the pope found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. The revolutions that swept through Europe and shook Rome threatened to end the popes’ thousand-year reign over the Papal States, if not the papacy itself. The resulting drama was rife with treachery, tragedy, and international power politics. David Kertzer, one of the world’s foremost experts on the history of Italy and the Vatican, brings this pivotal moment vividly to life.
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Imbalanced and theologically confused
- By A. Moran on 06-18-19
By: David I. Kertzer
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Embers of War
- The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam
- By: Fredrik Logevall
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 32 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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In this landmark work that will forever change your understanding of how and why America went to war in Vietnam, author Fredrik Logevall taps newly accessible diplomatic archives in several nations and traces the path that led two Western nations to tragically lose their way in the jungles of Southeast Asia. He brings to life the bloodiest battles of France’s final years in Indochina - and describes how, from an early point, a succession of American leaders made disastrous policy choices that put America on its own collision course with history.
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Understanding Why We failed the People of Vietnam
- By VA on 03-22-21
By: Fredrik Logevall
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American Sphinx
- The Character of Thomas Jefferson
- By: Joseph J. Ellis
- Narrated by: Susan O'Malley
- Length: 15 hrs
- Unabridged
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For a man who insisted that life on the public stage was not what he had in mind, Thomas Jefferson certainly spent a great deal of time in the spotlight. Historian Joseph J. Ellis sifts the facts shrewdly from the legends and the rumors, treading a path between vilification and hero worship in order to formulate a plausible portrait of the man who still today "hover[s] over the political scene like one of those dirigibles cruising above a crowded football stadium, flashing words of inspiration to both teams".
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So: they did the DNA and … time to change appendix
- By Jamanosa on 11-03-21
By: Joseph J. Ellis
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The Quiet Americans
- Four CIA Spies at the Dawn of the Cold War - a Tragedy in Three Acts
- By: Scott Anderson
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean, Scott Anderson
- Length: 22 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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At the end of World War II, the United States was considered the victor over tyranny and a champion of freedom. But it was clear—to some—that the Soviet Union was already seeking to expand and foment revolution around the world, and the American government’s strategy in response relied on the secret efforts of a newly formed CIA. Chronicling their fascinating lives, Scott Anderson follows the exploits of four spies. Despite their ambitions, time and again their efforts went awry, thwarted by ham-fisted politicking and ideological rigidity at the highest levels of the government.
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A Tragedy for One
- By Amazon Customer on 09-23-20
By: Scott Anderson
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Madame Fourcade's Secret War
- The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler
- By: Lynne Olson
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1941 a 31-year-old Frenchwoman, a young mother born to privilege and known for her beauty and glamour, became the leader of a vast intelligence organization - the only woman to serve as a chef de résistance during the war. Strong-willed, independent, and a lifelong rebel against her country’s conservative, patriarchal society, Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was temperamentally made for the job. No other French spy network lasted as long or supplied as much crucial intelligence. Fourcade was captured twice by the Nazis - and both times she managed to escape.
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Marvelous book, inappropriate narrator
- By LJH on 03-07-19
By: Lynne Olson
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Stalin
- The Court of the Red Tsar
- By: Simon Sebag Montefiore
- Narrated by: Jonathan Aris
- Length: 27 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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In a seamless meshing of exhaustive research, brilliant synthesis and narrative élan, Simon Sebag Montefiore chronicles the life and lives of Stalin’s court from the time of his acclamation as “leader” in 1929, five years after Lenin’s death, until his own death in 1953 at the age of 73. Through the lens of personality - Stalin’s as well as those of his most notorious henchmen, Molotov, Beria and Yezhov among them - the author sheds new light on the oligarchy that attempted to create a new world by exterminating the old.
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Stalinist Tyranny
- By Kindle Customer on 12-28-19
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Fatherland
- A Memoir of War, Conscience, and Family Secrets
- By: Burkhard Bilger
- Narrated by: Burkhard Bilger
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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What do we owe the past? How to make peace with a dark family history? Burkhard Bilger hardly knew his grandfather growing up. His parents immigrated to Oklahoma from Germany after World War II, and though his mother was an historian, she rarely talked about her father or what he did during the war. Then one day a packet of letters arrived from Germany, yellowing with age, and a secret history began to unfold.
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a window into a little-explored aspect of WWII
- By Marjorie on 09-23-23
By: Burkhard Bilger
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The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara
- By: David I. Kertzer
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Bologna, 1858: A police posse, acting on the orders of a Catholic inquisitor, invades the home of a Jewish merchant, Momolo Mortara, wrenches his crying six-year-old son from his arms, and rushes him off in a carriage bound for Rome. His mother is so distraught that she collapses and has to be taken to a neighbor's house, but her weeping can be heard across the city. With this terrifying scene - one that would haunt this family forever - David I. Kertzer begins his fascinating investigation of the dramatic kidnapping.
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Heart Breaking & Upsetting
- By Jason G. Gagnon on 06-05-21
By: David I. Kertzer
What listeners say about The Pope at War
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Hebern
- 09-05-22
Interesting history
This is about Pope Pius XII during WW2. It’s based on a lot of new material. The Vatican had sealed Pius XII’s papers from this period until Pope Francis released them in 2020.
Pope Pius XI was very much against the racism and Anti Semitism of Hitler and Mussolini. He was prepared to release an encyclical saying so in 1939, but died just before delivering it. His top assistant was selected to be the new Pope and in honor of his boss took the name Pius XII. He did not however take his former boss’s stance against the Fascists.
Throughout WW2, Pius XII would never denounce Hitler or Mussolini or their actions even after it became known that Hitler was exterminating the Jews. The question is why? The book does not have a smoking gun, definitive answer. The reader is allowed to look at the actions of Pope Pius XII and come to his or her own conclusions. Did Pius XII agree with the Hitler? Doubtful. Was he afraid for his own safety? Maybe. Was he afraid for the fate of the Catholic Church? Possibly. Was he hoping by staying neutral to broker a peace at the end of the war and increase his own power as a result? That’s an option. In fact there are numerous potential reasons and the true reason probably consisted of several of them. The only thing that is certain is that Pius XII’s silence was noticeable to all and history has judged him harshly for it.
I picked this one because of my recent visit to the Vatican. WW2 buffs would probably find it more enjoyable than I did. For me it was a little more detail than I wanted, but I did learn a lot.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Rocco Priore
- 07-13-22
I didin't LOVE it
Excellent commentary on the Popes. Too bad some of them are not as kind as their religion purports them to be!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Michal
- 12-15-22
Important book
This was absolutely fantastic book. Last thoughts however were somewhat odd given the clear and detailed account
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1 person found this helpful
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- Fernando J. Trejo
- 06-25-22
Excelente
Un libro muy interesante. Permite entender las presiones políticas y los cuidados que debió tomar Pio XII para cuidar la religión católica aun a cambio de no tomar partido con ningún país en la segunda Guerra mundial.
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-21-23
Excellent book!
The book was well written and thoroughly researched. In addition to revealing new details on the church during WWII, it provides immersive details on the impact of the war on Italy and the world.
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- Christine
- 10-22-23
Captivating
I loved this book. It was so well written that it was entertaining. The subject was disturbing, but it was presented in a balanced way.
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- JHerring
- 12-10-23
Read this book before...
This is a well written book with more information recently released. Nothing shocking for those that have been paying attention for decades. A must read for all, especially catholics. Read or better yet, buy a physical copy before the Vatican buys the rights to this book and buries it alongside Penn and Teller's B.S. two episodes "Holier-than-thou" and "The Vatican".
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- Glenn J Wojcik
- 04-28-24
Wolf in Sheeps clothing
At the end of The Godfather PT 1, during the baptism, the priest asks Michael, "Do you reject Satan," Michael "I do." Pius XII was the Vicar of the Church, the Rock, Petra, a beacon for the weak, and he did nothing. I was hoping to find clear evidence that he opposed evil. I didn't find Christ within him.
His silence condemns him and those who say, he did righteousness in secret, well that doesn't hold water in my opinion. It was a burning building and he kept silent.
He knew about the camps, he knew. I am surprised he didn't end up like Mussolini.
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- BARBARA SHAW GIFTS
- 06-30-22
A remarkable book. Incredibly important. Should be read by every Catholic and everyone
The material presented in the book is very uncomfortable but so important. Pope pious the 12th, is exposed on the basis of facts that have been hidden in the archives for 70 years. Silence was a misnomer for moral bankruptcy.
Thousands of lives could have been saved but for the silence of the Pope and church.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-16-22
Newly published - glad I got it early as it is worth the listen!
Very thoroughly researched and evenly presented, without undue prejudice or premature judgments posited before parsing all evidence. In short, not a pro/anti-catholic diatribe but a beautifully laid-out story of a pope in a giant quandary, caught between fears for his institution after whichever side in the war might come out on top. I especially appreciated the final words in the book, which sum up the uncomfortable choices which confronted Pius XII, assuring that he would fail at some part of his leadership role no matter which way he went.
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