Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
The Vatican's silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him “Hitler's Pope.” But a key part of the story has remained untold.
Pius ran the world's largest church, smallest state, and oldest spy service. Saintly but secretive, he skimmed from church charities to pay covert couriers, and surreptitiously tape-recorded his meetings with top Nazis. When he learned of the Holocaust, Pius played his cards close to his chest. He sent birthday cards to Hitler—while secretly plotting to kill him.
Church of Spies documents this cloak and dagger intrigue in shocking detail. Gun-toting Jesuits stole blueprints to Hitler's homes. A Catholic book publisher flew a sports plane over the Alps with secrets filched from the head of Hitler's bodyguard. The keeper of the Vatican crypt ran a spy ring that betrayed German war plans and wounded Hitler in a briefcase bombing.
The plotters made history in ways they hardly expected. They inspired European unification, forged a U.S.-Vatican alliance that spanned the Cold War, and challenged Church teachings on Jews. Yet Pius' secret war muted his public response to Nazi crimes. Fearing that overt protest would impede his covert actions, he never spoke the “fiery words” he wanted.
Told with heart-pounding suspense, based on secret transcripts and unsealed files, Church of Spies throws open the Vatican's doors to reveal some of the most astonishing events in the history of the papacy. The result is an unprecedented book that will change perceptions of how the world's greatest moral institution met the greatest moral crisis in history.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
Subjects
Anti-Nazi movement, Foreign relations, World War, 1939-1945, Catholic Church, Pius xii, pope, 1876-1958, Catholic church, foreign relations, World war, 1939-1945, europe, World war, 1939-1945, religious aspects, Germany, foreign relations, catholic church, War, Religious aspects, Diplomatic relations, International relationsShowing 3 featured editions. View all 3 editions?
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler
Nov 08, 2016, Basic Books
paperback
0465094112 9780465094110
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
2
Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler
2015, Basic Books
in English
0465061559 9780465061556
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
3
Church of Spies: The Pope’s Secret War Against Hitler
September 29, 2015, Basic Books
Hardcover
0465022294 9780465022298
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Table of Contents
Classifications
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Source records
marc_openlibraries_sanfranciscopubliclibrary MARC recordLibrary of Congress MARC record
Internet Archive item record
Better World Books record
Internet Archive item record
Promise Item
marc_columbia MARC record
Work Description
The Vatican’s silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him “Hitler’s Pope.” But a key part of the story has remained untold.
Pius ran the world’s largest church, smallest state, and oldest spy service. Saintly but secretive, he skimmed from church charities to pay covert couriers, and surreptitiously tape-recorded his meetings with top Nazis. When he learned of the Holocaust, Pius played his cards close to his chest. He sent birthday cards to Hitler—while secretly plotting to kill him.
Church of Spies documents this cloak and dagger intrigue in shocking detail. Gun-toting Jesuits stole blueprints to Hitler’s homes. A Catholic book publisher flew a sports plane over the Alps with secrets filched from the head of Hitler’s bodyguard. The keeper of the Vatican crypt ran a spy ring that betrayed German war plans and wounded Hitler in a briefcase bombing.
The plotters made history in ways they hardly expected. They inspired European unification, forged a U.S.-Vatican alliance that spanned the Cold War, and challenged Church teachings on Jews. Yet Pius’ secret war muted his public response to Nazi crimes. Fearing that overt protest would impede his covert actions, he never spoke the “fiery words” he wanted.
Told with heart-pounding suspense, based on secret transcripts and unsealed files, Church of Spies throws open the Vatican’s doors to reveal some of the most astonishing events in the history of the papacy. The result is an unprecedented book that will change perceptions of how the world’s greatest moral institution met the greatest moral crisis in history.
Links outside Open Library
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?February 17, 2022 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
February 17, 2022 | Edited by Richard Zoelss | Edited without comment. |
August 24, 2020 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
February 28, 2020 | Edited by MARC Bot | remove fake subjects |
February 21, 2016 | Created by Todays Martyrs Reviewer | Added new book. |