ReadingTheDots@social.vivaldi.net"The Pope Against Nuremberg: How the Vatican Helped Nazis Escape Postwar Justice" by Gerald J. Steinacher. My rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Published in 2026.
Book description: In the aftermath of World War II, the Nuremberg Trials promised a new era of international justice, holding Nazi leaders to account for their war crimes. Yet, beyond the courtroom, a very different struggle was unfolding. This book uncovers how the Vatican shielded war criminals, challenged the principles of postwar justice, and facilitated ratline networks in which Church leaders played a central role in spiriting Nazi perpetrators to safety, calling it Christian mercy.
There is so much historical detail and information here to document what happened over a period of years, resulting in the undermining of justice, and I venture to say, many knew nothing about the complicity of the Catholic church in this process. I know I was totally unaware of this. I highly recommend this book.
#nonfiction #history #WWII #NaziWarCrimes #CatholicChurch #books #reading @bookstodon
@bookstodon As a follow-up to my post about this book, here is some relevant information about the author.
Gerald J. Steinacher is the James A. Rawley Professor of History at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He specializes in modern European history, particularly the Holocaust, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, antisemitism, and questions of justice and accountability after war and dictatorship.
He earned his Ph.D. in history at the University of Innsbruck in 1999. His research examines how individuals and institutions responded to Nazi crimes, including the roles of the Catholic Church and humanitarian organizations in the postwar period.
His other notable books include:
• Nazis on the Run: How Hitler’s Henchmen Fled Justice (2011), which received the National Jewish Book Award in the Holocaust category.
• Humanitarians at War: The Red Cross in the Shadow of the Holocaust (2017).
He teaches courses on the Holocaust, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, modern Jewish history, migration and refugees, and intelligence history. In 2024, he received the university’s College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award.