The Wartime Popes

S1, E5: In July, 2016, Pope Francis makes an emotional visit to Auschwitz, the former Nazi death camp where more than 1.1 million Jews were executed. In the dark shadows of the Holocaust, the Pope prays for the forgiveness of mankind, and immerses himself in the controversial legacy of his predecessor, Pope Pius XII. As the world debates sainthood for the late Pope Pius XII, many question his role during World War II. Some laud his measured diplomacy, while others condemn his inaction in the face of genocide. In this episode, we examine the man who bore witness to the Nazi party's rise and the actions of the Catholic Church during the most tumultuous time in modern history. From Vatican City's retreat to autonomy in 1929 through the Nazi invasion of Rome in 1943, we will watch as the pope navigates his place as a spiritual leader in an increasingly political world, and how the modern church continues to wrestle with the sins of its past.