Mussolini, the Pope, and the Rise of Fascism

David I. Kertzer talks about the complex and secret relationship that Pope Pius XI’s had with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. The two men both came to power in 1922, and together changed the course of the 20th-century. Kertzer’s book The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe, shows how Pius XI played a crucial role in making Mussolini’s dictatorship possible and keeping him in power. But as Mussolini moved closer to Hitler, the pope started to lash out.