2023
Cairn
Dell’Era Tommaso et al., « 2. La distinction théologique entre racisme modéré et racisme exagéré du pontificat de Pie XI à celui de Pie XII : Éléments d’analyse », Revue d’Histoire de la Shoah, ID : 10670/1.9odzg3
This paper seeks to examine the impact of Pius XI’s theological perspective on racism, and how it shaped both the official and unofficial responses of the Holy See to racist and anti-Semitic laws passed in European states during the 1930s and 1940s. By examining previously published research and newly available documents from Pius XII’s papacy, this paper shows how the theological differentiation between moderate and extreme racism persisted and influenced the transition between the papacies of Pius XI and Pius XII. Specifically, this paper examines how Pius XII’s theological perspective on racism interplayed with the deeply-rooted, theological anti-Jewish bias among his inner circle, which manifested in certain instances. This research also aims to study the part Catholic theology and anti-Semitism played, alongside other factors, in shaping the Holy See’s intricate diplomatic response to the Shoah.