ABSTRACT
A few years ago, the author invites to give a public talk about the role of the Catholic Church during the Holocaust. Invariably, however, the ensuing question-and-answer period forced the author to confront compelling and consequential questions about Pope Pius XII, the Catholic Church, and the Holocaust that “remain unsettled and unsettling.” Much of the controversy about the role of the Catholic Church during the Holocaust hinges on how we judge, historically and ethically, Pope Pius XII’s exercise of clerical power and religious leadership in a time of political extremism, war, and genocide. Reflecting on the achievements of some forty years of Holocaust scholarship and public outreach, one can say confidently that the state of the field is rich and robust. Yet the author feels the burden of history and the responsibility of the historian more than ever because of nagging doubts and anxiety about the future.
