A new book by University of Nebraska–Lincoln historian Gerald J. Steinacher examines how the Vatican responded to the Allied prosecution of Nazi war criminals after World War II, revealing efforts by Catholic officials to protect former Nazi perpetrators from postwar justice.
Titled The Pope Against Nuremberg: How the Vatican Helped Nazis Escape Postwar Justice, the book was published by NYU Press in early November 2026. It draws on recently accessible Vatican records, intelligence documents, and material from more than 60 archives across Europe and the Americas.
Although the Nuremberg Trials have been extensively studied, the Vatican’s opposition to war crimes prosecutions and denazification has received comparatively little historical attention.
Newly Accessible Vatican Archives Reveal Postwar Activities
Steinacher’s research draws on Church records from the pontificate of Pope Pius XII, alongside intelligence files and other archival material.
The documents reveal how papal diplomats and individual bishops sought to influence Allied decisions on the prosecution of Nazi war criminals. According to the book, Catholic officials submitted petitions to Allied leaders, supported defence efforts, organised press campaigns against the trials, and opposed the extradition of suspects.
Some members of the clergy also reportedly provided hiding places for Nazi and fascist war criminals on Church premises.
The research challenges the perception of the Vatican’s postwar position as primarily one of silence. While Pius XII has frequently faced criticism over his public response to the Holocaust, Steinacher’s findings highlight the Vatican’s more active involvement in defending Nazi perpetrators after 1945.
Vatican Opposition Grew During the Early Cold War
According to Steinacher, the Vatican criticised the Nuremberg proceedings from their beginning, with its opposition increasing as war crimes trials and denazification continued.
Church leaders eventually advocated a broad amnesty and called for forgiveness of Germany’s wartime crimes, alongside efforts to rebuild the country.
The book examines these developments within the context of the emerging Cold War. As concerns about communism gained prominence, the Vatican increasingly prioritised political considerations over continued efforts to hold Nazi perpetrators accountable, Steinacher argues.
The research also explores how these efforts intersected with the wider postwar debate over punishment, reconciliation, and Germany’s place in the international community.
Book Revisits the Legacy of the Nuremberg Trials
The publication comes 80 years after the Nuremberg verdicts and examines the trials’ role in establishing principles of international criminal accountability.
Steinacher argues that the proceedings were intended not only to punish individuals responsible for Nazi crimes but also to educate the public about the atrocities committed by the regime.
“World War II and the Holocaust left behind immense suffering, and there was no simple way forward,” Steinacher said. “The Allies chose punishment. War crimes trials and denazification were meant to break with the Nazi past and to show people what crimes the regime had committed. Nuremberg was as much a classroom as a courtroom. Not every perpetrator could be tried, and Allied crimes never came before the court. But simply forgetting and pardoning ignored the victims. For many of them, justice was done at Nuremberg, even if it was imperfect.”
The book also examines the ambitions of American policymakers who sought to establish international legal standards capable of preventing future aggression and holding political and military leaders accountable.
“Instead of a jungle where the strongest rule, the Americans behind Nuremberg envisioned an international order grounded in the rule of law,” Steinacher said. “It was not a perfect project, but its standards were meant to apply to everyone in the future, victors as well as vanquished. The lesson from Nuremberg is clear: the international order must rest on the rule of law, with no one above it. Even the most powerful heads of state and military leaders must be held accountable for their crimes.”
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