New Holocaust and Genocide Studies article by Kertzer and Benedetti published
The lead article in the fall 2021 issue of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, “The Italian Catholic press and the racial laws (1938-1943),” by David Kertzer and Roberto Benedetti offers new insight into the Roman Catholic Church's support of Mussolini's antisemitic campaign. The abstract of the article follows:
Surprisingly little attention has been paid to the role of the Roman Catholic Church in encouraging popular acceptance of the Italian Fascist regime’s antisemitic campaign and its “racial laws” (effective from 1938 to 1943). Investigation of major Italian Catholic daily newspapers, the Fascist press, and Italian and French diplomatic archives reveals how the Church communicated its support for these racial laws by distinguishing unacceptable German racism from Church-sanctioned anti-Jewish measures.
