The papacy of Pius XII (1939–’58) will forever be viewed through the lens of the Holocaust, in particular his refusal to publicly condemn German actions against the Jews during the war. However, historian Robert Ventresca emphasizes the need to examine the man (born Eugenio Pacelli) in full to fairly evaluate some of his most controversial decisions.

Soldier of Christ is organized thematically, with chapters on Pacelli’s early life in Rome, diplomatic service, and investiture as Pope. The book also examines the pontiff’s behaviour during the Second World War, his postwar activities, and his spiritual influence. Ventresca paints a well-crafted portrait of Pacelli’s remarkable consistency, deciding early on that pragmatism was his goal in both spiritual and temporal matters.

The author does an admirable job of navigating the difficult subject of Pius XII’s dealings with Hitler. Careful to point out just how much the Pope tried to accomplish on behalf of European Jews – including private threats to Germany and allowing local Catholic authorities leeway to help where they could – Ventresca is also honest about how the pontiff’s refusal to denounce German actions began to feel “like a failure of moral leadership” to many people who wanted him to take a firm stand on Hitler’s crimes against humanity.

Much of the book covers aspects of Pius XII’s papacy that are less well known. For example, he virulently opposed Communism, and even asked an Italian politician’s wife to ensure that her husband would not form a coalition government with the country’s Socialist party. The chapter describing his efforts to reconcile modern society (including the appearance of new technology and issues of social justice) with Catholic teachings is also eye-opening, illustrating that Pius XII was actually quite eager to embrace progress as long as doing so didn’t lose sight of human dignity and the common good.

Ventresca does not answer the big question: Was Pius XII’s approach to the cataclysmic events of the 20th century the right one? Instead, he provides the information needed to begin an informed discussion about a question that may never be resolved, but certainly deserves to be asked.