The Popes Go to War: How Pope Pius XI and Pope Pius XII Combated Hitler and The Rise of Nazism

Abstract

This presentation will explore the role the papacy played during World War II. It reexamines how Pope Pius XI and Pope Pius XII navigated the rise of fascism in Europe. While historians argue that the papacy did little to halt the spread of Nazism in Germany, using different primary and secondary sources, I suggest that the papacy waged a quiet war against Hitler. Albeit a complicated history, the papacy did not sit quietly as the fascist regimes in Italy and Germany came to power and attempted to dominate Europe. The quiet war, I suggest, greatly aided the Allied forces and helped bring the downfall of Nazi Germany.