Pius XII: The Hound of Hitler
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Noel has produced an extraordinary interpretation of the exercise of power and the psychological mechanisms behind it. Diane Harvey - Library Journal The opening of previously restricted parts of the Vatican Archive has made accessible more information on the role of Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust. Noel's book is another attempt to use those and other sources to understand what one author has called Pius's "silence." Noel (former editor, Catholic Herald) attempts to "unlock some of the mystery of an extraordinary life" through psychobiography and recollections of those close to Pius, including his housekeeper, Sister Pasqualina. The author acknowledges that his is a "rather unusual approach" to understanding the Pope. Essentially, he offers an apologia for Pius, explaining his inaction with regard to the Holocaust as a response that was meant to preserve "the safety of the Roman Church above all other causes, however worthy." Unfortunately, the book is dense and moves ungracefully from psychological analysis to the intricacies of canon law and Vatican diplomacy. Readers who want a better-reasoned and -written analysis can turn to Michael Phayer's The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965. Noel's book is recommended only for comprehensive collections.
1 The Quest Begins2 The Design Unfolds3 Enter Pasqualina4 The Attack at the Nunciature5 The Best Informed Diplomat in Germany6 Secretary of State7 Shaking Hands with the Devil8 The Flying Cardinal9 With Deep Anxiety10 Pastor Angelicus11 Darkness over the Earth12 Ecclesiastical Lust13 The Croatian Genocide14 The Final Solution15 The War in Rome16 An Uneasy Peace17 The Great Design18 The Church of Silence19 Casa Pastor Angelicus20 The Verdicts of History21 Pope Pius X11: An Apologia
