Historian: Pius XII complicit in plots to assassinate Hitler
October 21, 2015
In a new book, historian and intelligence specialist Mark Riebling makes the case that Pope Pius XII aided plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler during World War II.
In Church of Spies: The Pope’s Secret War Against Hitler, Riebling asserts that “Pius was complicit in a variety of plots, initiated by patriotic, anti-Nazi Germans, to assassinate Hitler and replace the Nazi regime with a government that would make peace with the West,” George Weigel wrote in a review.
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Further information:
- The Pope wanted Hitler dead: The secret story of the Vatican’s war to kill the Nazi despot (Salon)
- New Book Reveals Vatican Plot To Assassinate Hitler (Breitbart.com)
- Pius XII, Co-Conspirator in Tyrannicide (First Things)
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Posted by: Jeff Mirus -
Oct. 23, 2015 8:59 AM ET USA
Minnesota Mary: It may, of course, be untrue. And it is "funny" how the narrative changes. But in fact Catholic theologians and political theorists have a long history, ever since classical times, of considering it moral to assassinate a tyrant, since the ordinary redress through civil government is not available. Remember that not all killing is wrong, only murder, which is generally defined as taking the life of someone who is "innocent".
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Posted by: Minnesota Mary -
Oct. 21, 2015 1:17 PM ET USA
I have a hard time believing that Pope Pius XII would be complicit in killing Hitler. The Church has never agreed that it is okay to commit an evil to bring about a perceived greater good. Isn't it amazing how Pius XII has gone from being castigated as "Hitler's Pope" to now being associated with plots to assassinate Hitler? Lies, lies, lies.
