Yours is a Precious Witness: Memoirs of Jews and Catholics in Wartime Italy

Mainly using untapped oral histories of Italian Jews and Catholics, this book shows that Catholics in Italy who saved Jews firmly believed they were doing so in consonance with the Pope's wishes. Readers will get to know these courageous individuals through their inspiring memoirs.

Yours Is a Precious Witness strives to redraw a common picture of Pius XII. He spoke loudly--not in words that would have resulted in Nazi retaliations, but in actions that directly saved thousands of Jews. Convents, monasteries and papal buildings in Italy became havens for refugees.

Pius XXII did not bow to the Nazis and Fascists. He also did not bow to the pressure of world opinion. He took the more courageous path of direct action. His example inspired Italians to respond with countless acts of individual heroism. The little-known result is that, while 67 percent of European Jews were killed, 85 percent of Italy's Jews were saved. The people who were there--the people who knew best--credit Pius XII for this moral victory.

Noted scholar Margherita Marchione traces both documentary and anecdotal evidence of the Pope's efforts. Her record of these oral histories--portraits of ordinary people performing extraordinary acts--presents a more accurate picture of the Pope than any backward-looking interpretation. Her outstanding work includes over 30 photographs, six appendixes, notes, a glossary and an index.