“After winning a Pulitzer for The Pope and Mussolini, David Kertzer returns with an explosive book on Pius XI’s successor, based on Vatican papers sealed for over 60 years and never-before seen documents from Britain, France, Germany and the US.

The Brown University professor explores Pope Pius XII’s actions during the War, including his response to the Holocaust, as the Church prepares to canonize one of their most controversial leaders. He clears away myths and falsehoods, showing why the Pope repeatedly bent to the wills of Hitler and Mussolini.”