Pius XII: The Hound of Hitler Book

In Pius XII: The Hound of Hitler, Gerard Noel seeks not to justify, but to explain this most infamous of popes, whose silence contributed to the Holocaust. After much research and careful consideration, I'm not sure he's done much of either. Noel gives us an insider's view of the life of Eugenio Pacelli and the papacy of Pius XII in a way few scholars have. However, this insider's view is somehow both less complete and more ambiguous than the mixed criticism and praise presented by so many others.

We journey with the author into the future pope's deeply religious home life, hear the screams with which he awoke from the nightmares that plagued him, explore the physical and mental weaknesses of this most powerful of men, and, overall, touch the humanity of the man who led the Roman Catholic Church during one of the most inhuman times in human history. As a man, Eugenio Pacelli elicits no small amount of sympathy. As the Pope, Pius XII provokes both disgust and half-hearted admiration.

Obsessed with a lifelong mission to centralize the power of the Church in the Pope, Pius XII missed many opportunities to uphold the moral ground of the Christian faith. From a treaty with Mussolini to the concordat with Hitler to the disbanding of the Catholic Center Party to the tacit approval of Catholic participation in and cooperation with the Nazi Party, Pius XII failed in upholding the moral teachings of his Church in the face of the man determined to destroy the world. On the other hand, Pius XII participated in an ultimately failed plot to assassinate Hitler, gave aid to refugees, and saved hundreds of thousands of Jewish lives throughout Europe. Always, he was willing to be both sinner and saint in the name of his faith.

Ultimately, the most intriguing aspect of Noel's tome is his examination not of the inner world of Pius XII but of the role of Mother Pasqualina, the German nun who spent most of her life by Pacelli's side and left the Vatican in solitude after his death. Over and over, this small woman raised her voice in defense of the virtues and values of the Christian faith. Finding greatness in her Pope, she did not hesitate to condemn his failures and those of the power-hungry cardinals who struggled for power and position in his domain. Forcing him to agree to the right thing once in a while, she worked tirelessly to carry out the relief work for which Pius XII has received most of the credit.

In the end, the reader is left with more questions than answers. Would Pius XII have achieved what he did without the moral guidance and courage of Mother Pasqualina? How many lives could have been saved if he'd only listened to her advice more often? Can the salvation of hundreds of thousands explain the deaths of millions?

If you seek answers, Pius XII is not for you. The source of the questions, however, is well worth exploring.

Review by Melinda Barton