Having read many mentions of a Pope Pius and his collaborations with Mussolini and Hitler during World War II,
I was astonished - for many reasons - with this book.

First, despite many previous references in both novels and non-fiction to Pope Pius,
it quickly became obvious that there were two Popes during the start of World War II,
one good man, Pius XI, and one shrewdly evil, his successor, Pius XII.

The book notes that this has confused many people, mostly non-Catholics or non-Historians.

Second, it is one of the few non-fiction books I've ever read straight through and will remember forever.

It is as suspenseful as any murder mystery, despite that a Pope's "divinity" prevents a solution.

Utimately devastating was the revelation of the ongoing inaction of both John La Farge
(author of [Interracial Justice]) and Gustav Gundlach.

They co-authored the final Encyclical requested by Pope Pius XI, a document which,
if delivered on time as requested and published,
could not only have changed the course of World War II, but saved many, many people from horrific deaths. ( )

An interesting read, but ultimately disappointing, in that the "American Jesuit," Fr. John La Farge was totally out-played by his Jesuit superior in Rome. I was under the impression that Jesuits took a special vow of allegiance to the pope, which, I would think, would supersede his obedience to his order's head man. Indeed, I did not finish the book because Fr. La Farge's ignorance and naivete' became so disquieting. On the other hand, the book provides a fascinating glimpse into the Vatican and Europe (especially Italy and Germany) of the 1930s. It was intriguing to learn of Pius XI's insistent and sincere distaste for Mussolini and Hitler and what they stood for (especially in light of how his successor dealt with the same issues), and how he had to battle his own aides and ministers who were more sympathetic to the despots. It was also pleasing to learn that Pius XI was a LIBRARIAN for a time prior to his assuming the papacy, gotta love that! ( )