The Pope's Cabinet

For the first time since World War II, the newly opened archives of the Vatican's Secretariat of State reveal the crucial role Pius XII and the Holy See played in trying to save Jews from capture and death during the war. Drawing from never-before-seen documents—letters, photographs, drawings, and newspaper articles—Johan Ickx answers questions that have swirled for decades, and through key topics and short stories, he discloses what really occurred, which is quite contrary to the dominant narrative. This authoritative untold history of the Church's efforts, inspired by Pope Pius XII, to save the innocent includes records of the tireless efforts of cabinet members to resist Nazi expansion and evidence of Pius XII's diplomatic attempts to curb the Third Reich policies. You will learn about Pius XII's condemnations of totalitarianism, methods for saving thousands of Jews, secret friendship with President Roosevelt, support for the Roman Escape Line, rejection of Marshal Pétain's racial laws, organization of emergency baptisms to shield Jews from deportation, and the origin of Pope Pius XII's doctrine on the Jews. This book shines a light on "soft diplomacy at its hardest" in the darkest times of Nazi-occupied Europe and the network of heroic individuals, including secret informants of the pope, who risked or gave their lives to rescue others.