A Cross Too Heavy (PDF)

PAUL O'SHEA Australian historian and educator whose research has focused on Pope Pius XII and Catholic responses to the Holocaust. A founding member of the Australian Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, he lives in Sydney and is the Senior Religious Education Coordinator at St. Patrick's College, Strathfield, Australia.

"A Cross Too Heavy, the thoughtful work of the Australian historian Paul O'Shea, provides insight and understanding that might otherwise be lost in the maelstrom of anger still generated by Pius' refusal to issue a clear and unambiguous condemnation of the Nazi campaign of genocide against European Jewry. O'Shea's well-researched and economically written account sheds light not only on the complicated man who became the leader of the world's largest religious body, but the highly complicated and contentious times in which he assumed that leadership. As Jews demand more information on those troubled times and fateful decisions - and as the Roman Catholic Church ponders whether Pius is worthy of sainthood - A Cross Too Heavy is timely, relevant and fascinating." - Intermountain Jewish News

"A Cross Too Heavy is an indispensable addition in the continuing debate over what Pope Pius XII did, and did not do, to help save Jews during the Holocaust. O'Shea's meticulous and balanced scholarship places the limited available evidence in much needed perspective. His discerning analysis and conclusions about Pius's tragic flaws make it clear that the Vatican must release all relevant World War II secret archives now - for the sake of Holocaust survivors and their families, and for the sake of historical truth." - Abraham H. Foxman, National Director, Anti-Defamation League

"O'Shea's volume is a fine, balanced summary of what we presently know about Pius XII's actions with respect to the Jewish people during the Nazi era. It is particularly valuable for its setting of the discussion regarding Pius XII in the wider context of the dynamics within institutional Catholicism during that period. No credible examination of the papal record can exclude its detailed evidence." - John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, PhD and Director, Catholic-Jewish Studies Program, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago

"This book offers a new analysis and understanding of the role played by