La Popessa

Sister Pascalina, obviously totally devoted to Pius XII, if not actually in love with him, was his almost constant servant and companion for over fifty years. In the Vatican, they enjoyed adjoining chambers; she was always available, as confidant and servant, for the Pope's demanding needs - which included housekeeping and food preparation - a servant in every sense of the word. While totally devoted to him and his service to the Church, she was at times exasperated with his decisions and actions, including his tolerance of the notorious behaviour of the Archbishop of Sicily, and documents these as well as other memories as fully as one is able to after so many years. Great attention is given to the role of Pius XII both before and during WW2 and the efforts of the Vatican in assisting Jewish refugees. Also discussed is Pius' visit to America before he became Pope, and the silencing of Father Coughlin at the request of President Roosevelt prior to the 1936 election. She documents the vicious and petty power politics of the Vatican in admirable detail, and after the death of Pius XII, being vindictively kicked out of the Vatican the same day, after a lifetime of service, with a few lira, virtually no personal possessions, no arranged place to stay, and not allowed to keep any item as a remembrance of the man she served for her whole career except a couple of the Pope's birds and a birdcage - and only these because the man in charge of her dismissal wanted to get rid of them. This forceful woman had made many enemies. An absorbing, fascinating story.

A great book...could not put it down...A book for all to read in laymans language so its easy to read..

The inside story of Pope Pius XII, based on extensive interviews and writings of Sister Mary Pascalina, who started as his housekeeper when he was Papal Nuncio in Munich and carrying on through her ywars at the Vatican, where she was, in all but title, his confidential secretary and confidant. She was roundly hated by the Vatican bureaucracy for her unbending adherance to Pius's wishes, preventing him from being disturbed incessantly by those who loved to flout their position at the Vatican by their propensity to "drop in" on the Pope whenever they wished. All sorts of Vatican officials, including Cardinals, sought her ouster but Pius would have none of it. The Roman Curia of that day was very much male dominated and highly chauvinistic.The book puts the lie once and for all to the notion that the Catholic Church abandoned Jews to Hitler during WWII. In fact, as the book reveals, the Papacy saved more Jews from the Germans than all other public and private relief agencies combined. Pius XII, a master of diplomacy, negotiated brilliantly with the Nazi commandant of the German occupation force to bring this about. At the same time he walked a treacherous tightrope between too harsh a condemnation of Hitler, which he knew would result in the massacre of all Catholic priests and nuns in Nazi occupied lands - witness the roughly 2,400 Catholic priests that were rounded up and exevuted the moment German forces entered Poland - and too lenient a position toward the Nazis, which would give them the impression they had a license to exterminate the Jews. Also revealed in this book is the shameful inaction of the Allies in sanctioning Hitler, despite Pius's repeated attempts to make them aware of what was happening in the death camps. All in all it is a fascinating book. A bit of history that flies in the face of modern revisionism and definitely reveals the seedier side of the "good ol' boys" of the Vatican bureaucracy. It even contains perhaps the only (public) account of violatioins of the seal of the confessional by Sicilian clerics and the eventual disposition of the mater. Highly recommended. A real poke in the eye for revisionists, bigots and racists - who have been screaming about it ever since it was published.

I actually only wanted to encourage everyone to try to read this incredible book. Also, please feel free to visit my web site at lapopessa.com and let me know what you think. Finally, contrary to one of your guest reviewers, I can assure you that the title given to Pascalina, "La Popessa" was not one of endearment or honor. Cardinal Tisserant and others are said to have created this name as a statement of their venemous hate for Sister Pascalina. This remarkable woman, who ran the Vatican as well as oversaw the day to day activities of Pope Pius XII, is one of the great women of the twentieth century. Pascalina is an earlier pioneer of the women's liberation movement in that she made a conscious decision as to how she would live her life. That, she decided, was to walk in the shadow of a man who she was determined to one day see become pope. I truly hope that everyone can read this remarkable book. "La Popessa" has never been publically acknowledged by the church for fear that Pascalina would then have to be credited for so much good that she did during her years in the Vatican. They also feared the nature of the relationship between a nun and a pope - though it was pure and chaste in my opinion. While Pascalina lived in the shadows, and many in the Vatican never even saw her or knew of her existence, she clearly helped change the course of world history. Pascalina is only one of the many millions of couragous women throughout the world who richly deserve credit for making a difference each and every day - whether it be in politics, business, health and human services, the classroom, or as the invaluable homemaker who creates the "sanga". In the end, "La Popessa" tells of one of the great love stories of our time, that between a nun and a pope. It is a story of a rich yet platonic love that was honest and respectful of its limitations. "La Popessa" is but a footnote in history, but a remarkable one at that. Of the thirty books that I used in researching my musical, it is clear that this is an exciting story that affected the course of world events. Let me know your thoughts. I think Bernadette Peters would be a great lead!

For about five years I had a bookstore which attempted to meet the needs of both Jews and Catholics in our University town. My interest in books which build bridges and tear down walls created great diversity on my shelves, of which I remain proud. THE POPESSA came highly recommended by the Paulist priests who staff the campus Newman Center at WVU. It tells the story of a religious woman who's work was in Vatican City, a person of considerable intellect and insight which was acknowledged, if grudgingly, by Pope Pius VII as she attempted throughout WWII to convince him of the enormous evil of Hitler & Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, she was unable to accomplish the rescue of Jews from the Shoah. But she was greatly respected for her efforts throughout the Vatican, and was called La Popessa as a title of honor. With the recent release of HITLER'S POPE, I hope this excellent book covering the same time period and subject will become available again and receive the recognition it deserves for taking a courageous stand against the Church, who was even less repentant in 1986 when La Popessa was published than it remains today.