Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler

The heart-pounding history of how Pope Pius XII -- often labeled "Hitler's Pope" -- was in fact an anti-Nazi spymaster, plotting against the Third Reich during World War II.

The Vatican's silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him "Hitler's Pope." But a key part of the story has remained untold.

Pope Pius in fact ran the world's largest church, smallest state, and oldest spy service. Saintly but secretive, he sent birthday cards to Hitler -- while secretly plotting to kill him. He skimmed from church charities to pay covert couriers, and surreptitiously tape-recorded his meetings with top Nazis. Under his leadership the Vatican spy ring actively plotted against the Third Reich.

Told with heart-pounding suspense and drawing on secret transcripts and unsealed files by an acclaimed author, Church of Spies throws open the Vatican's doors to reveal some of the most astonishing events in the history of the papacy. Riebling reveals here how the world's greatest moral institution met the greatest moral crisis in history.

Author: Mark Riebling
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 11/08/2016
Pages: 392
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.10d
ISBN13: 9780465094110
ISBN10: 0465094112
BISAC Categories:
- History | Wars & Conflicts | World War II | General
- Political Science | Intelligence & Espionage
- Religion | Christian Church | History

About the Author
Mark Riebling is a path-breaking writer on secret intelligence. The author of Wedge: The Secret War Between the FBI and CIA, he lives in New York.