D. Kertzer: In general I am pleased by the reaction in the U.S. to Unholy War. The great majority of reviews have been glowing. I just completed a 20-city speaking tour on the book in the U.S., and virtually everywhere there were overflow crowds, a couple of which were over a thousand. I have gotten a bit of hate mail, but what bothers me the most, as a scholar, are those who, in their animus against the book's thesis and desire to defend the Vatican's position, accuse me of being "polemical" and who use this as a way to dismiss the mass of archival and other evidence contained in the book.

R. Wilde: If the work of yourself, and your colleagues, can instill in the general public an accurate understanding of the Papal role in modern anti-Semitism, does it matter to you whether the Catholic Church itself accepts the facts? Or do you feel that the institution needs to readjust itself with regard to its past (in)actions?

D. Kertzer: At the Chicago discussion of my book, Garry Wills, who moderated, said that it was important not to equate the Catholic Church simply with the Vatican hierarchy, but rather to see it as the whole worldwide community of the faithful. Viewed this way, there are many, many Catholics who recognize the need for their beloved Church to come to terms with its real role in the rise of modern anti-Semitism. Pope John Paul II himself has emphasized the need for the Church to face any sins of the past with clear eyes, stressing that only in this way can the necessary purification of memory take place and a brighter future be achieved. I see my book contributing to this process, and at my book talks what has most cheered me has been the number of Catholics who have come up to me to tell me how important they think this work is.

R. Wilde: Finally, Unholy War would have been impossible before 1998, when the Vatican opened its secret archives. Is there any other material, private or lost, which you would love to have access to? (Other than the Vatican's records relating to Pius XI's office, which I assume would prompt a second edition!)

D. Kertzer: I just took part (December 20-21, 2001) in a conference on the history of the Inquisition, held in Rome, at which the head of the Inquisition archive announced that as of January 2002 it will be opened for the period 1903 - 1922. While other Vatican archives offered access for materials from these years, the Inquisition archive did not. So, my first stop would be back to those archives. Along with other scholars, I am hoping that the pope soon announces the opening of the archives of the next papacy - those of Pius XI (1922-39). When these are open, they promise to shed light on what was a crucial, and also a highly complex and even contradictory pope. I will be eager to be among the first to get into those papers.

R. Wilde: Thank you Professor Kertzer.

Next page > Review of Unholy War: 1 > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,

For Citation And Footnotes
Title: Unholy War: An Interview with David Kertzer
Author: Robert Wilde
Date: 2002