Books & ideas

A pope's silence

Annette Becker — 2025-12-16T08:50:48Z

Long the subject of myth, Pius XII's attitude towards the Holocaust and Jewish persecution can now be evaluated with the help of the archives. Nina Valbousquet makes a convincing case: the issue was not impartiality, but tepidness.

Pius XII, the Holy See, and the Jews

Charlotte Canizo — 2025-03-06T09:00:00Z

The Vatican's attitude during the Holocaust and the persecution of the Jews has been at the heart of numerous debates and controversies. Nina Valbousquet analyses the ambivalent position of the papacy during the pontificate of Pius XII (1939-1958) and provides a sensitive history of the Holocaust through the archives.

Economics of conversion

Martina Mampieri — 2025-01-13T09:30:00Z

What economic impacts and consequences did conversion carry in early modern Rome? The history of an elite Jewish family offers revelations about Jewish conversions to Catholicism and the shifts in social status that followed baptism.

Some Kind of Pope

Anthony Favier — 2018-06-18T07:00:00Z

On the 5^th anniversary of Pope Francis' election to the throne of St. Peter, Anthony Favier reflects on the career path and achievements of a pontiff torn between the desire for change and the need to embody a weakening Catholic institution.