Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell (1999, Hardcover)

I practically cried as I finished reading this book. Not an easy reading. A supposed "man of God", or "right hand man" of many Catholics is documented in this book to have not only turned a blind eye to the ascendency of Adolph Hitler, but placated him for his fight against communism. While of course Pacelli (the name of this Pope) was against Hitler's policies, he did too little, too late to stop him before he carried out his master plan.
The book documents the Pope's blindness when it came to the Jewish people, not intervening in occupied catholic countries such as Hungary, croatia, and even in his own backyard in Italy when the Nazi's rounded up Jews and murdered them.
His excuse was "it could be worse"....for the Catholics is refuted with other examples of other Priests who DID fight the Nazi's and were not executed and whose defiance against the final solution helped save many Jews. This Pope however decided not to intervene to save Jewish lives even when all that was asked was to direct other catholic clergy to protest the massacres. If he would've just spoken out and proclaimed to all the catholic buthchers under Hitler that they would not get communion, or will go to Hell if they commit murder of innocents, millions of lives could've been saved. But the Pope -as is documented in this book- turned a blind eye at his brothers in spirit and caused directly and indirectly the murder of thousands under the tyranny of Hitler's Germany & minions.
Highly recommended to read and to take a lesson from today's Pope, and see has the Vatican really learned anything in the past 60+ years?

The book offers the answers to many questions and is presented in a factual manner. I had read this book several years ago but loaned it and magic it disappeared. Very easy read and well documented.