Hitler had scheme to kidnap Pope Pius XII

Remember Pope Pius XII? The World War II-era pontiff has been reviled as ambivalent to the Nazi slaughter of Jews. Some have even called him "Hitler's Pope." Maybe not:

Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler gave one of his generals a direct order to kidnap Pope Pius XII during World War Two but the officer did not obey, Italy's leading Roman Catholic newspaper reported Saturday. Avvenire, which is owned by the Italian Conference of Roman Catholic bishops, said new details of the plot had emerged in documents presented to the Vatican in favor of putting the controversial wartime Pontiff on the road to sainthood. Elements of alleged plots to abduct the Pope during Germany's occupation of Italy have already emerged in the past from some historians, but Avvenire's full-page report said its details were new. Avvenire said Hitler feared the Pope would be an obstacle to his plans for global domination and because the dictator wanted to eventually abolish Christianity and impose National Socialism as a sort of new global religion.

Now maybe we'll see anti-Catholic forces relax in their opposition to sainthood for the late Holy Father. But probably not.