The Pope And der Fuhrer

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"It's not much to base accusations of anti-Semitism on," remarks historian Father Pierre Blet of the 1919 letter. A similar tendentiousness, he says, mars Cornwell's whole work: "He ignores a great deal of material which doesn't fit his theory and makes grave accusations without supplying the evidence." Blet was one of four Jesuits who compiled the official 12-volume record of Pius' war years from Vatican archives. He too has a new book: a useful summary titled Pius XII and the Second World War. Blet maintains that the 1933 pact was "practically imposed by Hitler." And papal power was hardly its only carrot: "The Nazis offered such good conditions that it would have been crazy not to sign it." Cornwell's implication of Pacelli in the Center Party's demise, he notes, rests heavily on uncorroborated memoirs by a former party head.

The feud over Pius is likely to intensify as he moves closer to sainthood; his beatification could occur by next year. Jewish groups are increasingly hostile to it, and the Vatican is increasingly resentful of their critiques. But debate should be welcome. It illuminates previously neglected episodes in the life of this prospective saint. And it alerts us to flaws in the received version, as when, defending Pius against Cornwell last week, at least one cleric reached again for the story of the Dutch reprisals.

--With reporting by Emily Mitchell/New York and Martin Penner/Rome