Letter from the Editors: December 2013
Contemporary Church History Quarterly
Volume 19, Number 4 (December 2013)
Letter from the Editors: December 2013
By Kyle Jantzen, Ambrose University College
Dear friends,
Munich’s Frauenkirche, seat of the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, dates back to the 13th century. Photo (cc) via Flickr user shunkoh: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shunkoh/2933522848/sizes/z/
It is with pleasure that we release our latest issue of Contemporary Church History Quarterly. In it are seven fulsome reviews of recent literature on twentieth-century German and European church history. Not for the first time does the history of the papacy during the Second World War take centre stage. It is astounding how vigorous the debates around the diplomacy of Pius XI and especially Pius XII continue to be. We are pleased to offer reviews of Robert Ventresca’s recent biography of Pius XII, which Kevin Spicer judges to be, “the best possible insight into Pope Pius XII’s life that we have in English today.” Alongside this, Jacques Kornberg of the University of Toronto provides a guest review of Pius XII and the Holocaust: Current State of Research, a volume of contributions from Catholic and Jewish scholars based on a 2009 Yad Vashem workshop. Rounding out this theme of Roman Catholicism and the Holocaust are reviews of books on Pius XI and on Catholic teaching on Jews during and after the Nazi era, both reviewed by journal founder John S. Conway.
We are also excited to publish an analysis of Steven Schroeder’s book, To Forget It All and Begin Anew: Reconciliation in Occupied Germany, 1944-1954. Schroeder, a member of the CCHQ editorial team, has produced a thoroughly-researched and innovative account of reconciliation efforts made by grassroots organizations in the post-war era. Finally, editors Manfred Gailus and Heath A. Spencer have reviewed intriguing new publications on secularization in German culture and religious instruction during the Nazi era.
Once again, we hope you enjoy this edition of Contemporary Church History Quarterly, and wish you a relaxing and meaningful Christmas holiday season.
On behalf of the editorial team,
Kyle Jantzen, Ambrose University College
