Two Popes and the Holocaust

The contrasting reactions of, respectively, Pope Pius XI and his successor Pope Pius XII to events in 1930s Nazi Germany are examined and assessed. Pius XI, despite conclusion of a concordat with the new German regime in 1933, was outspoken in condemning Nazi racism and persecution of minorities ("Spiritually we are Semites," he famously stated). Pius XII, on the other hand, maintained a cautious silence, fearing among other things reprisals against German Catholics if he spoke out. Even today, partisan propaganda continues to colour attitudes to these two pontiffs.