Paul O’Shea; Rosenberg Publishing; $35
PAUL O’Shea’s verdict on Pope Pius XII is contained in the title.
The responsibility of confronting the Nazis about the holocaust proved more than Eugenio Pacelli could manage.
Is he, therefore, as guilty as Rolf Hochuth’s play “The Deputy” suggests?
Is he as blameless as his most enthusiastic defenders maintain?
The answer, as usual, lies within these two extremes.
This Catholic historian, son of regular Leader letter writers Pat and Lois, arrives at a clear statement of where he stands.
What constitutes his final judgment is best left to a careful reading of this book which is based on Paul’s successful PhD thesis presented to Macquarie University.
What is beyond doubt is the scholarship on which this work is based. Such academic discipline results in a scrupulously fair analysis of a terrible period in human and Church history.
So careful is his research that the reader can sense the pain that such rigour demands of its agent. Nothing is conceded; every fact, assertion and the odd speculation is thoroughly documented.
Brian Matthews’ recent biography of Manning Clark was criticised for focusing too heavily on the academic’s writings.
In fact the close connection between the life and its accompanying literary output makes them synonymous.
O’Shea links the papal actions or lack thereof in the years 1939-45 to Pacelli’s early life and priestly formation in a clerical, diplomatic environment.
Consequently much space is given to a description of this background. The necessity and value of this becomes apparent as the author recounts Pius XII’s strategic dealings with Nazism.
Another intriguing aspect is the theology especially the new (as he was then) pope’s concepts of Church and his role as leader of this institution.
Both are presented as catalysts influencing what was and what was not done to aid the Jews.
The reasons behind the thinking thus become clear, if not acceptable. Can anything more be asked of an historian? Well, perhaps, yes.
Can the unglamorous objectivity of fact and documentation be attractively presented?
This historian of international repute again answers in the affirmative.
The author’s scholarly voice combines with an attractive literary style to make his work not only a compelling piece of scholarship but also a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.
