Biographical sketch of Pius XII, voted one of the top Catholics of the 20th century by visitors to the Daily Catholic web site.

Fifty years ago the charge that Pius XII was anti-Semitic would have been incomprehensible.

Section of the Vatican's official web site. Portrait, coat of arms, archive of some of his writings and speeches.

Reviewer James Carroll expounds the argument of John Cornwell's book "Hitler's Pope": that Pius XII was anti-Semitic and power-hungry. In the October 1999 issue of The Atlantic.

Kevin Madigan reviews John Cornwell's "Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII."

An account of his pontificate.

Illustrated profile includes list of people he beatified or canonized, excerpts from his writings, links.

Opinion piece by Michael Novak, in First Things. The recent charges against Pope Pius XII do not stand up to scrutiny. They are illogical, inconsistent, and fly in the face of facts.

Article by Pierre Blet, one of the team of researchers who compiled the 11-volume set of Vatican documents related to World War II. These documents show that it is a baldfaced lie to assert that Pius condoned Nazism.

Article by Kenneth Woodward, published in Newsweek, 30 March, 1998. Pius was neither silent nor inactive about the Holocaust. In fact, during the Second World War, he was lauded for his singular efforts to halt the carnage.

FAQ and several articles defending Pius XII.

A book accusing Pius XII of being "Hitler's Pope" overestimates the pontiff's influence and underestimates his character. Lawrence Osborne reviews John Cornwell's book. In Salon.

Article points out that accusing Pope Pius XII of being indifferent to the Holocaust is a recent development based on fiction. At the time and immediately afterwards, the press and persecuted Jews hailed the Vatican as the one beacon in a darkened Europe.