This study, originally published in 1977, demonstrates that a change in mentality in the nineteenth-century drifted from traditional sexual controls and allowed them greater sexual freedom and indulgence. The process occurred in such a way that the proletariat never considered whether their newly found sexual liberation might be in conflict with the moral teachings of the Church. This title will be of interest to students of history and religion.

This study, originally published in 1977, demonstrates that a change in mentality in the nineteenth-century drifted from traditional sexual controls and allowed them greater sexual freedom and indulgence. The process occurred in such a way that the proletariat never considered whether their newly found sexual liberation might be in conflict with the moral teachings of the Church. This title will be of interest to students of history and religion.

Using newly available material from the U.S. National Archives, Michael Phayer sheds new light on the actions of the Vatican and of the man whom some have mistakenly called "Hitler's Pope." As a new world war loomed, the Vatican believed it had to make a choice between communism and Nazism. Reluctantly, both Pius XII and his predecessor chose the Nazis as the lesser of two evils. In the balance rested the genocide of European Jews. As difficult as his wartime behavior is to accept, perhaps nothing demonstrates Pius's fear of communism more than his misguided and unethical attempt to thwart its growth in South America by abetting the escape of Nazis and Usta i war criminals. The story of these Vatican "ratlines" adds another facet to the complex picture of Pius XII and the Holocaust."

"Phayer offers exactly what was needed.... A fair and even-tempered account of a volatile subject." Kirkus Reviews

"An important addition to the literature of the Holocaust." Publishers Weekly

"Very valuable... a fine and judicious book." Istvan Deak, The New York Review of Books

"Phayer has written a singularly important book on the role of the Catholic Church in both the Holocaust and its aftermath, up to and including Vatican II. Diligently researched and documented, judicious in its conclusions, comprehensive in its scope, compassionate and humane in its outlook, this book is an indispensable resource." Richard L. Rubenstein

"Phayer s study of the Catholic Church] as an actor in the tumultuous history of the 20th century] will serve as a model for other historians." Donald J. Dietrich, Boston College

Phayer s book, particularly strong on German source material, is at pains to list Pius s strong points his piety, his loathing of Hitler, the instances of personal warmth, the occasions when he criticized Nazism. Phayer examines not only Pius s actions but those of other leading Catholics, and his study extends beyond the end of World War II 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. This enables Phayer to show how the church completely reversed its position relative to the Jews, but it also gives him a more thorough reading of Pius XII s overall record. It is a damning and convincing verdict that emerges." Commonweal"

Cries in the Night is the story of seven Catholic women who defied Hitler and the Nazis during the Holocaust by saving Jews. Phayer and Fleischner show that these women, motivated by compassion and a sense of justice, to be sure, also strongly desired that their church take up the cause of the Jews during the Holocaust. These women beleived that the true mission of the Chruch lay not in preserving the Chruch's external structure and buildings, but in defending the oppressed.