Former Catholic priest and author Salvatore Tagliareni offers a rare glimpse into the moral conflicts raised by Nazi Germany and the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the Holocaust."Hitler’s Priest" (Brown Books Publishing Group) gathers an astounding amount of historical research, highly-attuned cultural notes, and a varied cast of characters and compiles all this into a captivating work of historical fiction.
The research for this book began when the author met Dr. Viktor Emil Frankl forty years ago.
“I was a Catholic priest and traveled to Rome to study,” says Tagliareni. “While in Rome, my best friend was killed and I experienced a crisis of faith. Then I went to work under Dr. Frankl in Austria; this ushered in a monumental change in my life.”
Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor, wrote the best-selling book "Man’s Search for Meaning," chronicling his experiences as a concentration camp inmate.
“The impact Viktor had on me and millions of others cannot be exaggerated,” says Tagliareni.
“He was once asked, ‘How can you not hate the Nazis?’ His reply? ‘They took my family, my homeland, my occupation, and my freedom. If I hated them I would have nothing left of my humanity. Love is more powerful than hate.’”
Tagliareni knew he had to tread lightly when it came to the Vatican’s culpability in the Holocaust.
“In my novel I address the fundamental question: Did the Church have a responsibility to openly speak out against the atrocities? I have attempted to be balanced and fair in answering that question.”
At the heart of Hitler’s Priest is Hans Keller, a highly intelligent architect and atheist.
A chance meeting with the charismatic Josef Goebbels, a leading figure in the bourgeoning Nazi Party, places Keller on a path that will lead him to a shadowy role of manipulation and deceit as he is offered a key role in shaping the future of the Nazis’ new Germany: providing influence within the Catholic Church.
“My novel is meant to inspire self-exploration about responsibility,” says Tagliareni. "The fact is that most of the world remained silent...begging the question, what would you have done?"
Tagliareni is in the process of writing his second novel.
For more information about the publisher, please go to http://www.BrownBooks.com.
For information about the author, please go to http://www.HitlersPriest.com.