Under His Very Windows: The Vatican and the Holocaust in Italy

by Susan Zuccotti

Pope Pius XII has often been criticized for his silence during the extermination of European Jewry during World War II. In his defense, some have alleged that the pope was doing a great deal to help the Jews but that his efforts were necessarily behind the scenes. This meticulously researched and balanced book examines exactly what the pope, his advisers, and his assistants at the Vatican Secretariat of State did to help the Jews of Italy. It finds that they did very little.

The book begins by discussing prewar Vatican and Jesuit publications, in which Zuccotti uncovers a hitherto unsuspected prevalence of anti-Jewish sentiment. These publications, along with archival documents, indicate that Vatican protests against Italian anti-Jewish laws were limited to measures affecting converts and Jews in mixed marriages with Catholics, as was help with emigration; the papal nuncio’s visits to foreign Jews in Italian internment camps did not differ from those to non-Jews and in no way eased their material discomfort; and interventions by diplomats of the Holy See for Jews threatened with deportation were rare, always polite, and seldom decisive.

Above all, Zuccotti finds no evidence of a papal directive to church institutions to shelter Jews and much evidence to suggest that the pope remained uninvolved. The notion that Pius XII was benevolent and helpful to Jews behind the scenes proves to be a myth.

Genres: History, Holocaust, Italy, Nonfiction, Religion, World War II

420 pages, Hardcover

First published December 11, 2000

Reviews

[James Willcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and annotated history of a disturbing time in our shared history. I found the writing to be unbiased and academicly driven without slanted emotion. Truth is just truth, and in this case, painful.

[Kenneth Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book looks st the Catholic Church and their actions or lack there of to the Holocaust in Italy. Pius XII was the Pope and has been criticized for his lack of protest over the extermination of the Jews. Italy was different in that for much of the war Mussolini was the ruler and he was not as hateful to Jews. The Fascists did pass antisemitic laws, but weren’t bent on their destruction. Many of the Jewish ghettos were already in place and sanctioned by the Church, including the one in Rome. It had been there for centuries and was within sight of the Vatican. The pope remained silent as Jews were killed in Croatia, France and Hungry.
The author gives many reasons for this silence but condemns the Church for it’s lack of protest and outrage. Some of the reasons given were the Churches systemic antisemitic attitudes, fear of reprisal against Catholics, fear that the Vatican would be invaded and the Pope ‘s belief that he could mediate a peace. Another major consideration was the fear of communism.
The author does relate the many instances where Catholic clergy, nuns and monks risked their lives to protect Jews. The author concludes that the Church abrogated the moral high ground on this issue and still has not come to terms with that failure.

[Seth J. Vogelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly a difficult topic, but nevertheless the book was poorly edited with much repetition between the chapters. The author was careful not to indict the church in her attack on the Pope, but it could been put in better and clearer manner.

[David Baggens · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is historical slander. The author (Zuccotti) dismisses the testimony of thousands of Jews and survivors of the Holocaust that defined and praised Pius XII. In a book that should be called fiction because it lacks any attempt to be history, Zuccotti purposely changes the words, creates fictional events, and shows a denial of what actually took place. This book is affront to every historic book ever written.

'Just because a theory is popular does not mean it is true'. That is something I want to say to every "Hitler's Pope" conspiracy theorist. There are mountains of proof from literally hundreds of sources that Pius XII helped the Jews and stood up against the tyranny of the Nazi and Mussolini.

[Trish · Rating 1 out of 5]

Garbage