Video: The Vatican's Role in the Promulgation of Italy's 1938 Racial Laws

On October 7, 2013, David Kertzer, Paul Dupee University Professor of Social Science and Professor of Anthropology and Italian Studies at Brown University, spoke about Pope Pius XI's complicity with Mussolini's fascist regime in 1930s Italy. Kertzer is the author of the forthcoming book The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe. The event was co-sponsored by the Center for Jewish Studies. Watch the full video or selected clips below.

Full video

Part 1: 

Introduction

Part 2: 

Kertzer discusses how his research about Pope Pius XI conflicts with the narrative that the pope "fought bravely against the racism that Mussolini embraced" in 1938.

Part 3: 

Kertzer discusses negotiations that took place between Mussolini and Pope Pius XI.

Part 4: 

Kertzer talks about the organization Catholic Action and how it was threatening to Mussolini.

Part 5: 

Q&A