Vatican documents regarding World War I and II describe Pope Pius XII's efforts to terminate these wars and, failing that, to mitigate their tragic effects. As a young monsignor, Eugenio Pacelli acted as emissary for Pope Benedict XV. Working with the International Red Cross and the Swiss Government, he began negotiations for the exchange of wounded prisoners and interned civilians. The young diplomat directed this network of relief activities for three years and gained international respect for his spiritual as well as material assistance to all, especially prisoners of war. Thousands of civilian prisoners unfit for military service, together with the elderly, children, physicians, priests, sick soldiers and hostages were exchanged and returned home, as a result of Pacelli's tireless efforts. Benedict XV acknowledged Pacelli's work by consecrating him a bishop on May 13, 1917.

During World War II a powerful system for prisoners of war to communicate with their loved ones to learn about their imprisonment was through the Vatican Information Office, which was set up by Pacelli immediately after the war began in 1939. Young and old appealed to Pius XII for help in locating missing sons, husbands, relatives and friends. In turn, the office he set up to deal with such requests sought night and day to provide information and to comfort them. This untold story is told in the words of loved ones in letters to Pius XII in this new volume by Margherita Marchione.

She tells the story of the grieved and the heroic people in letters, telegrams and reports of the apostolic delegates who visited prisoners in camps spread around the world, as well as in the words of family and friends. Under the supervision of His Holiness, families separated by the conflict were contacted. Refugees and the missing, both military men and civilians, as well as other victims of war, were ensured spiritual and material assistance. Not only are there hundreds of thousands of documents in the Vatican Secret Archives, but researchers can examine over 20 million letters. The more amazing fact is that researchers can find additional information on the file cards for each of these individuals.

The Vatican Information Office served as an information clearinghouse for the victims of the war and their families. To help in this mission, Vatican Radio broadcast 1.2 million short-wave messages asking for news about missing individuals. The documentation will show convincingly that during the period leading up to, during, and after the Second World War, the Vatican used its moral prestige, limited funds, and extraordinary network of contacts to work consistently for the protection of human life and human dignity. The evidence concerning Pius XII's work on behalf of prisoners of war, as well as Jewish victims-the particular objects of Nazi hatred-adds a new level of information concerning the charitable work carried out by this dedicated servant of God. It opens up a previous unknown area of compassionate effort by the wartime Pontiff and helps us better understand why Pacellis contemporaries were convinced that Pope Pius XII was a man of extraordinary charity.

After dedicating ten years to promoting the truth about Pius XII, Sr. Margherita Marchione, Ph.D., has provided new, unpublished documents in her new book, Crusade of Charity: Pius XII and POWs. It's a volume that tells a fascinating story.