World War II placed the Church in an impossible position. It could not support a Nazi Europe. On the other hand, it could not rejoice over an Allied victory signifying the entry of Soviet Russia and Americanist concepts into the mainstream of European life. Dr. John Rao talks of Pius XII's difficulties in sailing through these troubled waters. Taken from: The Church of Eugenio Pacelli - 2000 VonHildebrand Institute