ABSTRACT
This chapter reflects on the difficulty for the Vatican of maintaining its neutrality in the face of war damage to Italian heritage sites during the military operations of World War II, in particular in 1943–1944. It examines, mainly through a cross-reading of the propaganda records and the diplomatic papers that passed between the Vatican and the United States, a series of crucial events in which the fate of religious properties posed a severe test of the Vatican’s neutrality. The chapter also explores the communications policy of the Allies and in particular how the American media handled news of bombing raids and damage caused. It concludes that, ultimately, the Holy See was able to exert very little influence in the preservation of ecclesiastical heritage sites in Italy and beyond.
