Episode 888: Michael Knowles on “The Pope and the Führer”
Newt's World
Gingrich 360
4.7 • 6.3K Ratings
🗓️ 7 September 2025
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Newt talks with Michael Knowles about his new four-part docuseries, “The Pope and the Führer: The Secret Vatican Files of World War II,” which explores the controversial legacy of Pope Pius XII during Hitler's reign. Utilizing declassified Vatican archives made public in 2020, the series offers unprecedented insights into the Pope's actions and correspondence during World War II. Historically accused of silence or complicity with the Nazis, the series aims to correct the narrative by presenting evidence of Pius XII's opposition to Hitler and his efforts to protect Jews. The docuseries, available on DailyWire+, features contributions from leading historians and Vatican scholars, highlighting the complex political and spiritual challenges faced by the Pope. Their discussion also touches on the broader implications for the Catholic Church's role in history and its ongoing influence in contemporary society.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:08.8 | On this episode of Newt's World, the Pope and the Furor, the secret Vatican files of World War II, is a four-part docucus series available to stream now on Daily Wire Plus. |
| 0:21.0 | Narrated by the Daily Wire's Michael Knowles, the series pulls back the curtain |
| 0:25.1 | on one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century, Pope Pius I, |
| 0:30.3 | through unprecedented access to declassified wartime archives. |
| 0:35.7 | The Vatican's once secret files, made public in 2020 by Pope Francis |
| 0:40.0 | revealed the private correspondence and long-buried testimony that reshaped the legacy of a |
| 0:46.1 | pope long accused of silence during Hitler's reign. Knowles was joined by a range of leading historians |
| 0:52.0 | and Vatican scholars, offering new insight into the man who led the Catholic Church through one of history's darkest chapters. |
| 1:00.6 | I'm really pleased to welcome my guest, Michael Knowles. |
| 1:03.4 | He is the celebrated host of the Michael Null Show at Daily Wire and the book club at Prager You. |
| 1:10.2 | His first book, Speechless, became a number one national bestseller, |
| 1:15.3 | and in 2025, Avemere University awarded Michael an honorary doctor of humane letters. |
| 1:35.6 | Thank you. Michael, welcome, and thank you for joining me on Nitzworld. |
| 1:39.0 | Speaker Gingrich, thank you so much for having me. It's an honor to be here. |
| 1:44.3 | Michael, you're a devout Catholic. We knew when she was the ambassador to the Vatican what an important story this was and how the Pope was moving towards releasing previously secret documents. But I'm curious, |
| 1:50.6 | what drew you to this story? Well, I think that the venerable Pope I as the 12th is one of the most |
| 1:57.8 | calumniated men in history, certainly in recent history. I remember, even when I was |
| 2:02.5 | growing up, there was this spate of books that was coming out, attacking the man, going so far as to |
| 2:07.8 | call him not merely silent or even complicit, but Hitler's Pope. As a kid, I just took this to be |
| 2:14.3 | true. And I was actually somewhat scandalized by how distorted the historical record could be. |
| 2:21.9 | And why also? |
... |
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