Take a fresh look at a topic that has sparked controversy for decades. During the years leading up to WWII, what was the Vatican's reaction to the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany? After the war began, how did the pope respond to the horrors of the Holocaust? In telling that story, "Holy Silence" focuses on American officials who worked behind the scenes to influence the Vatican's actions.
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About the Film
"Holy Silence," a documentary film from Emmy-nominated director Steven Pressman, takes a fresh look at a topic that has sparked controversy for decades. During the years leading up to World War II, what was the Vatican's reaction to the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany? And after the war began, how did the pope respond to the horrors of the Holocaust?
In telling that story, "Holy Silence" focuses on American officials — from a humble New England priest to the president of the United States — who were working behind the scenes to influence the Vatican's actions during that dark period in modern history.
Eugenio Pacelli, Vatican secretary of state prior to becoming Pope Pius XII, met with Joseph Kennedy (left) and other U.S. officials during a 1936 visit to America.
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Alamy
Myron Taylor, a wealthy American industrialist, served as President Roosevelt’s personal envoy to Pope Pius XII during World War II.
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Getty Images
Pius XI was on the verge of issuing a papal encyclical against Nazi Germany and anti-Semitism at the time of his death in February 1939.
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U.S. Library of Congress
President Franklin Roosevelt hoped that Pope Pius XII would take a strong stand in favor of the Allies during World War II.
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U.S. Library of Congress
Pope Pius XII insisted that the Vatican remain neutral throughout World War II and pleaded with the Allies not to bomb Rome.
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Alamy
A newspaper headline announced the Nazi roundup of Jews in Rome in October 1943. Pope Pius XII did not protest the deportation of Jews to Auschwitz.
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PerlePress Productions
Father John LaFarge Jr., an American Jesuit priest, was summoned to Rome in 1938 and directed by Pope Pius XI to draft an encyclical denouncing Nazi Germany and anti-Semitism.
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Georgetown University
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