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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
Heavily documented and thoroughly researched. The slander against Pope Pius XII, as Hitlers Pope, began with communist propaganda and the publication of the play "The Deputy" during the cold war. It accelerated with armchair history and easily refuted books all through the end of the 20th century. This book adds to the growing amount of undeniable fact, mostly known prior to the propaganda, that the Pope played a vital role in opposing Hitler and saving lives. As the New York Times wrote of the Pope during the conflict: “This Christmas more than ever he is a lonely voice crying out in the silence of a continent.”
Church of Spies goes beyond the little the public at the time knew and shows the level of cooperation between the German resistance of Admiral Canaris and the Vatican. Including the moral justification (From St. Thomas Aquinas) used that led the Pope (With material and strategic support) and the resistance to engage in attempted Tyrannicide in two assassination plots. It also covers the saving of over 4000 Roman Jews by the orders of the Pope through shelter in the Vatican and hiding them in monasteries and convents.
This does not rewrite the historical record, it reclaims it from the false narrative that developed in the cold war and was perpetuated by poor history toward the end of the last century.
It also brings to greater public light the hero Dr. Josef Mueller, who suffered much and risked much to oppose the Nazis. His story should be taught over and over as an example of courage.
Church of Spies goes beyond the little the public at the time knew and shows the level of cooperation between the German resistance of Admiral Canaris and the Vatican. Including the moral justification (From St. Thomas Aquinas) used that led the Pope (With material and strategic support) and the resistance to engage in attempted Tyrannicide in two assassination plots. It also covers the saving of over 4000 Roman Jews by the orders of the Pope through shelter in the Vatican and hiding them in monasteries and convents.
This does not rewrite the historical record, it reclaims it from the false narrative that developed in the cold war and was perpetuated by poor history toward the end of the last century.
It also brings to greater public light the hero Dr. Josef Mueller, who suffered much and risked much to oppose the Nazis. His story should be taught over and over as an example of courage.
dark
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
"Uma história tem sempre dois lados. Devemos procurar saber os dois." Esta é a lição que retiro da leitura deste livro.
Toda a gente criticou o Papa Pio XII por, aparentemente, não fazer nada contra o nazismo. Intitulando-o até de "O Papa de Hitler". Com este livro aprendemos que isso não foi de todo verdade e que o Papa tentou sempre derrubar Hitler, mesmo que secretamente. Só não o fez à luz de todos com receio das represálias que isso poderia trazer contra as pessoas que o seguissem.
Toda a gente criticou o Papa Pio XII por, aparentemente, não fazer nada contra o nazismo. Intitulando-o até de "O Papa de Hitler". Com este livro aprendemos que isso não foi de todo verdade e que o Papa tentou sempre derrubar Hitler, mesmo que secretamente. Só não o fez à luz de todos com receio das represálias que isso poderia trazer contra as pessoas que o seguissem.
Good info about things I didn't really know much about, dang you school system.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
I was reading on my Kindle and wanted to take so many notes that I ended up buying a physical book, which I will finish on summer break.
'Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler' by Mark Riebling is a fascinating read focused on recently uncovered documents from the Catholic church. The narrative is fast moving and full of thrills.
History has not been kind to Pope Pius XII. He is probably the most hated pope in modern history. The church took a lot of criticism for seeming to side with Hitler and do nothing while he tried to eradicate the Jews. This book has a different story to tell. Newly discovered documents show that the church actively worked to undermine Hitler. Working with a large group of Vatican operatives and a network that extended into the German resistance, the church actually had a hand in three attempts to assassinate Hitler.
One of the main characters is Josef Müller, nicknamed as Joey Ox, and he was sent on a series of trips to the Vatican carrying correspondence. Being caught with this would have meant his death.
Another is Wilhelm Canaris, who was a German admiral and chief of the German military intelligence service. He decided that Germany couldn't win this war, and joined the opposition to overthrow Hitler.
The Vatican had a secret radio room that was set up by Marconi. Information flowed smoothly as the church was without suspicion, but the life of resistance is not glamorized, and many who were captured were tortured and killed. It's a fascinating book, and I found the way it was told to be gripping. Even though the outcome of the war is known, Mark Riebling knows how to tell a true story very well.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Basic Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm so very thankful for the opportunity to review this ebook.
History has not been kind to Pope Pius XII. He is probably the most hated pope in modern history. The church took a lot of criticism for seeming to side with Hitler and do nothing while he tried to eradicate the Jews. This book has a different story to tell. Newly discovered documents show that the church actively worked to undermine Hitler. Working with a large group of Vatican operatives and a network that extended into the German resistance, the church actually had a hand in three attempts to assassinate Hitler.
One of the main characters is Josef Müller, nicknamed as Joey Ox, and he was sent on a series of trips to the Vatican carrying correspondence. Being caught with this would have meant his death.
Another is Wilhelm Canaris, who was a German admiral and chief of the German military intelligence service. He decided that Germany couldn't win this war, and joined the opposition to overthrow Hitler.
The Vatican had a secret radio room that was set up by Marconi. Information flowed smoothly as the church was without suspicion, but the life of resistance is not glamorized, and many who were captured were tortured and killed. It's a fascinating book, and I found the way it was told to be gripping. Even though the outcome of the war is known, Mark Riebling knows how to tell a true story very well.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Basic Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm so very thankful for the opportunity to review this ebook.
Interesting in its discussions of the tradeoff between public positions that would make folks think well of you but might prejudice the overall goals vs. private effective action.