The Pope's Last Crusade

A conspiracy within the Vatican—to stop an outspoken pope

In 1938, Pope Pius XI was the world's most prominent critic of the Nazi party. To make his voice heard, Pius called upon an American Jesuit, John LaFarge, to write a papal encyclical—the Vatican's strongest decree—publicly condemning Hitler's murderous campaign.

But conservative members in the Vatican like Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli toiled in secret to suppress the document from appearing. Pacelli, who would become Pope Pius XII, colluded with others to keep the finished encyclical from reaching the increasingly ill Pope.

Peter Eisner, award-winning reporter and author of the critically acclaimed The Freedom Line, reports shocking new evidence (released only recently from Vatican archives) of this deceit. An astonishing tale of intrigue and sedition, The Pope's Last Crusade is a compelling journey into the heart of the Vatican. A truly essential work, it brings new light to one of the most critical junctures in modern history.