"The Catholic Church's official silence during the Holocaust, its antisemitism, and its apparent lack of action to save lives have all been part of a long historical discussion. Making extensive use of church documents, Michael Phayer investigates the actions of the Catholic Church and of individual Catholics during the crucial period from the emergence of Hitler until the Church's official rejection of antisemitism in 1965. Phayer's account permits us to follow the evolution of official Catholic thinking during the rebuilding of Germany, the Cold War, and the gradual theological reforms that led to Vatican II."--BOOK JACKET.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [273]-293) and index.

1. Catholic Attitudes toward Jews before the Holocaust 2. Genocide before the Holocaust: Poland, 1939 3. Genocide before the Holocaust: Croatia, 1941 4. The Holocaust and the Priorities of Pope Pius XII 5. In the Eye of the Storm: German Bishops and the Holocaust 6. European Bishops and the Holocaust

7. Catholic Rescue Efforts during the Holocaust 8. Answering for the Holocaust: The United States Confronts Germany 9. The Holocaust and the Priorities of Pius XII during the Cold War 10. Catholics and Jews after the Holocaust 11. The Holocaust Recalled, Antisemitism Renounced: The Second Vatican Council 12. Epilogue.