- [Narrator] 1942, the
entire world is at war. The Axis and the Allied
forces are bombing nonstop. We are in the midst of the
biggest conflict in history. A war which will cause
almost 50 million deaths. In Rome, the Pope, Pius XII, is confined to his palace
far from the chaos of war. As the spiritual leader
to hundreds of millions of Catholics around the world, he must guide the church through
one of the darkest periods of our history. Because 1,000 kilometers away in Poland, Hitler has already begun
carrying out his gruesome plan. The extermination of all Jews in Europe, whom he would gas to death
in concentration camps all carried out in top secret. And yet, the pope is well-aware. As he is one of the most
well-informed men on the planet. The world awaits any kind of grand gesture or speech condemning these atrocities - [Narrator] But the pope remains silent. Surely, in principle,
Nazism and Catholicism are fundamentally opposed. - [Narrator] Excluding their
points in common with Hitler, the Catholic Church will find that. As early as the 1930s onwards, dozens of priests become Nazis. The Vatican will let it happen. The church will even make
a pact with the Fuhrer, by signing an international agreement. - [Narrator] You will discover
the story of certain men of the church, fervent admirers of Hitler, who champion the cross of
Christ as well as the swastika. - [Narrator] After the war
networks within the Vatican will help the biggest Nazi
criminals to escape Europe. Among them, Joseph
Mengele and Klaus Barbie - We're talking about
criminal activity here. I think we should point
this out in this case. It's not just about
forgiveness and clemency, helping somebody who is in
hiding, giving him some food. But organizing new papers
under false identity, for Holocaust perpetrators
trying to avoid justice by Italian authorities
and allied authorities. This goes far beyond to
be the Good Samaritan. - [Narrator] This is the
story we are about to tell you the story of an institution
that many thought to be above all suspicion,
the story of their fall into collusion with evil itself. (anticipatory music) All ambiguity of the links
between the Vatican and Nazism had begun well
before the Second World War. To understand this, we must
go back into the beginning of the 1930s. More precisely, January the 30th, 1933. Hitler has just been elected
Chancellor of Germany. But this is not enough for him. His goal is to impose a dictatorship. (speaking foreign language) To accomplish this, Hitler
must change the constitution, and to do that, he must
have two thirds of the vote of the Reichstag representatives. His one hope, is to
have a political party, one that holds great
power within the Assembly, the Zentrum. A hundred or so centrist representatives Catholic representatives. - [Narrator] But the
problem is, in principle, that it would be impossible for the church to give its voice to Hitler. Nazism and Catholicism
are fundamentally opposed. - [Narrator] But more is
needed to discourage Hitler. If he wants full powers, he must convince, at all costs, the Zentrum. (speaking foreign language) - [Narrator] But these fine
words will not be enough to appease the German Catholics. However, everything is at stake So, here is the Fuhrer's plan, it's not only the German
Catholics that he needs to seduce but their leader the Pope himself. From the outset, this mission
seems to be a lost cause and yet, we see that
on the Vatican's side, the idea will be rather welcomed. We find ourselves in Rome, Italy. Wedged inside the
capital, the Vatican City the Catholic Church's seat of power. At its head since 1992, the Pope, Pius XI. A Pope with an obsession,
to sign an agreement with Germany to protect the
interests of German Catholics. - [Narrator] Hitler could thus
agree to sign the Concordat on the condition that he
had the assured backing of the full powers. And it seems that the idea of negotiating with the Fuhrer does not repel the Pope. Because for Pius XI, Hitler
is not yet the devil. He sees him, above all, as
a fierce anti-communist. A man who could prevent
Stalin from invading Europe and suffocating the Church. The Vatican's incessant fear. - [Narrator] To negotiate with Hitler, the Pope sends one of
his closest associates, Eugenio Pacelli. He is the Secretary of State. He's the number two of the Vatican City. And the Pope had chosen him,
for this high-risk mission, because he knows Germany very well. He was ambassador for
the Vatican for 13 years. A strategic post. - [Narrator] But the Concordat
is far from being signed. (singing in foreign language) Elsewhere, in Germany,
the Zentrum have just decided on a policy full of implications. On March the 23rd, 1933
in Berlin at the Reichstag the German Catholics have
voted to give full powers to Hitler. The Fuhrer now has free reign
to impose his dictatorship. It's impossible for historians
to know in what ways the Vatican and Eugenio Pacelli
put pressure on the Zentrum. - [Narrator] Several days later, the German church will once again give Hitler what he
wants, allowing Catholics to also be Nazis. Two years earlier, the
bishops had banned this. Only, with the desire
to sign the Concordat, the church will give in. From the 28th of March 1933,
German Catholics can officially be Nazis. Dozens of priests will
thus join the NSDAP, the Hitlerite party. At the Vatican, no one can
see anything left to say, quite the contrary. - [Narrator] But will the
Vatican really dare to sign an international agreement with the Nazis? Especially as in Rome, during
the negotiations with Hitler, the Pope receives some
worrying information about the situation in Germany. The Jews there are being persecuted. Their shops are being boycotted. They are excluded from all
public employment, ousted from the economy. The Fuhrer is putting in
place the first anti-semitic measures that will become the
foundation of his policies. Voices are raised to warn the Vatican. Among them, an outraged woman
writes a letter to the Pope, she pleads him to intervene. Her name is Edith Stein. Her journey is surprising. Edith was born into a Jewish family. She is an intellectual and a feminist. She has unlike most other
women of this period a doctorate, and is a
professor at Munster. At 30 years old, Edith Stein
converts to Catholicism. She is recognized as a
woman of profound faith and an exemplary life. In April 1933, this is the
beginning of her letter. - [Woman] Holy Father! As a child of the Jewish
people who has become by the grace of God a child of
the Catholic Church 11 years ago, I dare express to
the father of Christianity what is tormenting millions of Germans. - [Woman] Through its call to boycott, the government is pushing
many people to desperation. I was aware of five
suicide cases following these attacks. I am persuaded that this is hinting at a general phenomenon that will
take still many more victims. - [Narrator] But above
all, Edith Stein pleads the Pope to intervene. If he doesn't, she threatens, he would be an accomplice
to these horrors. - [Woman] The responsibility
falls in large part upon those have pushed them to this extremity. It also falls upon those who
remain quiet on the subject. We fear the worst for
the image of the church if it continues to remain silent. - [Narrator] The Pope receives
this letter on his desk, and he will read it. But he will choose not to do anything. His only response, was
to let Edith Stein know that he'd ask for God's blessing for her. In fact, without knowing
it, Edith Stein had sent her letter to the Vatican at
the worst possible time. - [Narrator] The Vatican
will soon be reassured Eugenio Pacelli was about
to finalize this Concordat that he so desired. Hitler accepted the
terms of the agreement. Rome, 20th of July, 1933. Around the table, next to
Pacelli, representing the Pope, Franz Von Papen, the
Vice-Chancellor of the Reich. He represents the Fuhrer This agreement, which
contains 34 articles, is a relief for the Vatican. It assures them, officially,
the respect of the rights of German Catholics, as
stated in article one. Article one, the German Reich guarantees freedom of profession
and public exercising of the Catholic religion. It recognizes the right
of the Catholic church to organize and administer
its affairs autonomously. But in reality, the real winner of this international treaty is Hitler. The church offered on a silver platter the final piece he was missing the stature of a true head of state. - [Narrator] But this honeymoon
period between the Vatican and the Nazis will not last long. Hitler wants to position
himself as a dictator. Very quickly, he violates the Concordat. He dismantles the
organizations of the church and arrests, and sometimes
assassinates Catholic opponents. At the same time, he attacks
the Jews once again with a new arsenal of anti-semitic measures, the Nuremberg laws of 1935. The Jews lose their German
nationality and most of their civil rights, mixed
marriages are forbidden. In Rome, Pope Pius XI is not
ignoring these persecutions. Four years after having entered
into a pact with the Fuhrer, the pope becomes disillusioned. He comes to realize who Hitler really is. So for the first time, he
decides to confront him. His weapon, a prosecution
speech against Nazism. Mit brenneder sorge, in English; With burning concern. - [Narrator] This
impactful text is prepared in utmost secrecy. The censorship of the Nazi
Regime is omnipresent. - [Narrator] The 31st of
March 1937, the text is read in all the churches in Germany. Hitler does not react. But from now on, to the eyes of the world, Pius XI appears to be
a challenger to Nazism. Only, it is not him who
will lead the Church when the war begins. Will, then, the Vatican
dare to defy Hitler? And play its role as defender of humanity while an entire people get exterminated? (speaking foreign language) March 1939, just three
months before the war. In Rome, a new Pope has just been elected. Pope XI died of a heart attack. And the new pontiff is
far from being a stranger. He has chosen the name Pius XII. In reality, his name is Eugenio Pacelli, the Vatican's former number two. This man's entrance into
power will mark a halt in the political battle of his predecessor against Hitler. Because Pius XII himself, is
man that is far more careful. - [Narrator] Except that
while Hitler prepares his Final Solution, this voice of compromise will not suffice. - [Narrator] To accomplish
this, Hitler puts in place a true industrial process. Jews are arrested by the
hundreds of thousands during big raids. They are brutally packed into
overflowing animal trucks. And driven towards Poland to
specially designed death camps, on a massive scale, where
the majority of Jews would be gassed to death. This genocide had to
take place in top secret. In principle, it was impossible
for the Pope to know about these atrocities committed by the Nazis. Except in reality, Pius
XII will very soon know. Because the church, omnipresent in Europe, is a vast network of
information wherever there is a Catholic, there is a
potential spy in the service of the Vatican. - [Narrator] But this official proof, the pope will very soon receive. Like in March 1942 with
this report coming from The Jewish World Congress. In this report is a highly detailed index of the exterminations, country by country. The exact figures given show 92,000 Bessarabien Jews executed by the Nazis. Later, the Pope will
receive confirmation of this alarming news. This time, by the Polish
government-in-exile. In regards to the number
of Polish Jews exterminated by the Germans, we estimate that it has
surpassed one million. It is primarily the
elderly, the disabled, women and children who are taken, which is proof that this is
not deportation for work, but that the deportees are
being put to death using various methods, in
places specially created for this purpose. All of these reports urge
Pius XII to condemn Hitler. The Pope is seen as the
person who could change the course of history. - [Narrator] But for the time being, the Pope has decided to keep quiet. He is not the only one to
have received these reports. The Allies have also been informed. On December the 17th,
1942, Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin publish a declaration. A searing text in which
they clearly identify the Jews as the target of Nazis. In every country under German occupation, the Jews are being transported on trains in horrific conditions, with
inconceivable brutality. The number of victims of
these bloody acts of cruelty are hundreds upon hundreds
of completely innocent men, women and children. We condemn in no uncertain
terms this bestial policy of cold-blooded extermination. Now that the whole world knows, the Pope no longer has a choice, he must speak. A severe, unequivocal
condemnation is expected. On the 24th of December 1942,
as the Sovereign Pontiff begins his traditional Christmas speech, an entire people is waiting. But they are going to be disappointed, as Pope Pius XII barely
speaks on the matter at all. In a lengthy speech of over an hour, the issue of the Jews is
addressed in one single sentence, during which he does not
even specifically name them. He alludes simply to the... - [Narrator] So, how to
explain this silence? A silence that, once
again, threw a dark veil over the Vatican. Pius XII would have been
nervous about retaliation. Because in Holland, a few
months earlier, in July 1942, the public condemnation
of Nazism by a group of bishops had devastating effects - [Narrator] Amongst the
victims there was Edith Stein. Remember, this German woman
who, nine years earlier, had written the famous letter
to the Pope begging him to break his silence. According to certain
specialists, the tragic event in Holland would have
weighed heavily on Pius XII. - [Narrator] But that
is not the only reason. Something else also paralyzes the Church. The Catholics are not
hugely fond of the Jews, and this is nothing new. - [Narrator] This contempt,
this anti-Judaism, the Jews will pay the price for this once
again a few months later. But this time, the persecution
will happen practically on the Pope's doorstep. We're in the Jewish ghetto in Rome, in the western part of the city. On the night of the 15th to
the 16th of October 1943, the sound of German
military boots approaches. The Gestapo enters the Ghetto through the Via del Portico d'Ottavia. They arrest 1,259 people,
200 of whom are children. The majority of those
are deported to Auschwitz and will be gassed. Only 15 people will survive. Pius XII, yet again, keeps quiet. No public condemnation. No symbolic gesture of compassion. - [Narrator] Three months
before the rounding up of the Jewish ghetto, Rome was bombed, causing 1,600 deaths. At that moment, Pius
XII rushed to the center of the crowds to comfort
the Romans the majority of whom were Catholic. - [Narrator] Of course, the
Pope hid hundreds of Jews, even inside his own private residences. But he would not publicly
speak out to encourage his flock to follow suit. However, in Rome, more
than 4,000 Jews were hidden in convents and monasteries. Risking their lives, Catholics
allowed entire families to be saved. In other words, many
believers did not wait for a message from Pius XII, They
acted on their own conscience. - [Narrator] The problem
is that in the absence of a clear course of action
from their spiritual leader, other Catholics then chose the dark side. And this led to mistakes and misconduct. Berlin, in October 1943. Today, a new issue of the biggest Nazi propaganda magazine
is being released. A newspaper, translated
into 25 languages with and two and a half
million copies published and distributed throughout
occupied Europe, Signal. And on the front page this
month, the German soldier in uniform, standing
right next to the Eagle and the swastika. But this man is not German, he is French. His name, Mayol de Lupe. And even more astonishing
although he is wearing the uniform of the Waffen SS, he is first and foremost a Catholic bishop. This man so willingly
lending his image to Hitler is proof that Catholicism
and Nazism can be compatible. This is a godsend for the Fuhrer, who takes the opportunity to
plaster it all around Europe. - [Narrator] Mayol de Lupe is part of this Nazi turning point at the start of the '30s. He has a long-standing
obsession, Bolshevism, and most definitely shares
his hatred of the Reds with the Hitlerite regime. But also, he shares this
hatred with the Vatican, since the Vatican never
ceases to condemn communism, much more so than it condemns the Fuhrer. - [Narrator] Except Mayol de Lupe, will not just be attracted by Nazism. In the name of anti-Bolshevism,
he is ready to actively lend a hand to Hitler, in the
hope that this will help the church to finally get rid of the Reds. And soon, he will have
just the opportunity. We are in the Soviet Union
In the winter of 1941. For months, the country has been fighting the bloody German invasion
in Operation Barbarossa. Four million Axis soldiers have invaded the USSR by surprise. But the war is brutal.
Hitler needs more men. He is recruiting from all
over the occupied territories. But the French are unwilling. The Fuhrer must find them a solution. - [Narrator] The problem
is that Mayol de Lupe needs the authorization of the Church. But apparently, one of their bishops
joining Hitler's side does not pose any problem. Not for Cardinal Suhard,
his superior in Paris, a close friend of Marechal Petain. He gives him his permission
without batting an eyelid. Not even for the Vatican,
who Mayol de Lupe contacts through Monseigneur Sibilia,
a Cardinal close to Pius XII. He sends him his authorization
and even his blessing! In October 1941, Mayol de
Lupe leaves for the front line along with hundreds of
French youth and Nazis. Their trains are covered
in explicit slogans, "Death to the Jews, Heil Hitler!" At nearly 70 years old the
new crusader finds himself as a military chaplain
on the Russian plains. His mission, to spew out
his party line, Amen Hitler! - [Narrator] In total, Mayol
de Lupe will spend almost three years on the Eastern Front. He then settled in Germany
until the end of the war. As the Allies arrive, he
hides himself in a monastery but is quickly found and arrested. At the end of his trial,
Mayol de Lupe will serve four years in prison
for enemy intelligence. In theory, with the defeat
of the Germans one could think that this would
also put an end to these somewhat clouded
Church-Nazi relationships. But you will see that, in
reality, even years after the fall of Hitler, some
very highly-positioned men in the Vatican will enter
into outright complicity organizing the escape of war criminals. We return to Rome, the war is over. The Italians, too, have
discovered the unbearable images of the millions of victims of the just-liberated extermination camps. There is utter disbelief. In the Vatican, the Pope
still has not reacted publicly nor has he condemned these horrors. And after three years, life
has resumed its course. It is 1948. A stone's throw from Holy See, this is the Via della
Pace, the Road of Peace. We are at number 20,
at the headquarters of the German Church Santa Maria dell Anima. Monseigneur Alois Hudal lives here. He runs one of the branches of the Assistant Pontifical
Commission, created at the end of the war to welcome refugees. - They wanted to help, they
saw the millions of Europeans and millions of Europeans
on the road, on the street, homeless, displaced persons,
survivors of the Holocaust. It was very chaotic, a very
difficult situation in Europe in those years, about more
than 20 million people homeless and on the streets, it
was a massive problem. And so the Catholic Church, the Vatican, the Pope himself realized, We want to do something as well, we want to help these people. - [Narrator] And so, on this day, Alois Hudal hears a knock at the door. It's a refugee coming to ask for aid. His name is Franz Stangl. But this man is by no means
a refugee like the others. He has the blood of hundreds of thousands of Jews on his hands. - His criminal career
really started out when he was involved in the
so-called euthanasia killings in Austria, and then he was
transferred from a euthanasia killing center to Treblinka
extermination camp in Nazi-occupied Poland, where he became the Commandant of Treblinka. In Treblinka, between 1942 and
1943, one million people were murdered and he was one
of the main perpetrators of this crime. - [Narrator] After the war, Stangl is arrested and
imprisoned in Austria. The law is preparing to
judge him and he knows he faces a heavy sentence. So he escapes in May 1948. And so begins his 1,000 kilometer
journey, destination Rome. Stangl has heard that
inside the Vatican there is a network that could
help him flee Europe. They have even given him a
contact the famous Alois Hudal. - He came to Rome and he
knew he had to, somehow, find this bishop Hudal. But he had no real idea
where exactly he is and he didn't even know the
correct spelling of his name. And pure coincidence, he
ran into a former comrade, a former SS man that he knew,
in Rome on a bridge and, you know, asked "What are you doing here?
What a coincidence!" and he said "I'm looking for
Hudal, I'm on the way to Hudal" and the former SS man could describe him, could tell him how to find Hudal in the Santa Maria dell Anima. - [Narrator] In other words, at the Santa Maria dell Anima Church, Hudal not only helps
the poor and destitute. He also deals with Nazi criminals, and does so with full
knowledge of the situation. - He knew that Stangl
was a mass murderer and a Holocaust perpetrator
who had killed hundreds of thousands of people. - [Narrator] It should be
said that the bishop Hudal is also an admirer of the Nazi regime. - [Narrator] Hudal's specialty
is supplying passports for war criminals so that
they can get out of Europe. And Stangl is in great
need of this service. It is in the name of the
Vatican, and with the help of the Holy See, that Hudal will proceed. This, here, is proof of
the document that was procured for him. It is a letter written by
the Pontifical Commission, with the Vatican coat of arms as a header. It is dated the 17th of August, 1948. He is asked to kindly deliver the passport to the following person, Stangl. The request is addressed to
the International Red Cross. At the time, Europe is in such chaos that it is the Red Cross who
is entrusted with the task of providing passports to
refugees who wish to emigrate. But to ensure success,
what could be better than a letter like this, with the
guarantee of the Vatican? - We know from witnesses,
from former officials of the Red Cross in Rome, that
priests and Hudal himself asked personally, or went them himself
to ask for travel documents from the Red Cross for a number
of people that he wants to help. And, of course, in those
cases, the officials could not say no. How could they refuse the application of a bishop, of a Catholic bishop in Rome? That's impossible. - [Narrator] The result,
a few weeks later, Hudal hands Franz Stangl his passport. It is his guarantee that he
will be able to escape justice. However, this war criminal
doesn't celebrate. Because he was bothered by a small detail. - The papers were not really
issued in a false name. They were issued for
a certain Paul Stangl. So the middle name was
turned into the first name. Stangl protested, he told the bishop You made a mistake,
somebody made a mistake, maybe the Red Cross or
you because my name is not Paul Stangl, it is Franz Stangl. And the bishop Hudal told him, don't worry, it's better to let sleeping
dogs lie, because you realize you're wanted as war criminal. It's better to be Paul
Stangl than Franz Stangl because they're looking for Franz Stangl. - [Narrator] But they would not find him, as the former Nazi left Europe and headed to
Syria to start a new life. He would not be found for
another 20 years, in Brazil, and there he will finally
be condemned to lifetime in prison. But Hudal did not help
just one war criminal. Numerous others also passed
through this Vatican network. Amongst them, the most-wanted
in Europe such as, Adolf Eichmann, the lead
organizer of the death camps. Doctor Mengele, the head
doctor of Auschwitz. And Klaus Barbie, the butcher of Lyon. Was Pope Pius XII aware
of his bishop's schemes? Impossible to know, as
the Vatican refuses, even today, to declassify their records. On the other hand, one
report is unequivocal. It is dated back to 1947 and comes from the American Secret Service. Its author, Vincent La Vista. - He did a very good job, he
looked into all the structures, he figured out how these
people come to Italy over the mountains, to Tirol very
often in the Austrian-Italian border, and then how they stayed
in monasteries, how some of them had contact with former
Nazis there or former fascists there, and then how to
get to Genoa or to Rome. - [Narrator] And what
he discovered was that, at the heart of the Vatican, there were
numerous members suspected of being involved in the
escape of war criminals. 22 in total. Many of them bishops. And in very first place,
is written Monsignor Hudal. His address and even his
telephone number are given! Again, it is impossible
to know for sure that Pius had any knowledge of this report. But according to experts,
it is almost certain. - [Narrator] In any case, the
Pope did not react publicly. At the Vatican, affairs
are dealt with internally. Alois Hudal would resign
five years later, in 1952. Even today, Pius XII is
shamed for his silence. All of it, his silence during the genocide but also his refusal to
speak out after the war and to explain himself,
when he no longer needed to be in fear of retaliation. It would not be until his death, in 1958, that the people would
finally hear his regrets. This is how his will opens. Have mercy on me, Lord, and
grant me your forgiveness. The knowledge of my weaknesses, failures, and sins committed during
such a long pontificate, in such terrible times, has
revealed my short fallings and my disgrace. I humbly ask forgiveness of all those I have offended, wronged and outraged. (heroic music)
