A detailed study of Pope Pius XII's reasons for making no public statement during World War II regarding the predicament of the Jews. Falconi contends that the pontiff's silence was due to a reluctance to provoke Nazi retaliation against the Catholic Church in the occupied countries. Vatican officials trusted in traditional diplomacy during a time calling for extraordinary measures. In spite of this failure, he convincingly argues that the Pope's piety and religious fervor are beyond question.