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 Pope Pius XII Scott 131 (1949) On the morning of July 19, 1943, approximately 500 American bombers, under the command of famed airman General Jimmy Doolittle, dropped more than 4,000 bombs on Rome. The worst damage occurred in the Roman neighborhood of San Lorenzo, home of the famed Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le mura (Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls), which is adjacent to the massive Campo Verano cemetery. For context, American forces had landed on Sicily a few days prior to the bombing raid and would soon begin the assault on the Italian peninsula. Their trek north towards Rome would be a mission costly in terms of time, destruction of property and human suffering. To this point, Romans had believed the city would be spared the worst of the war’s carnage because of its historic, artistic, and spiritual importance, but the air raid of July 19 shattered that illusion. The raid would leave 3,000 people dead, injure 11,000 more, destroy 10,000 homes and leave at least 40,000 Romans homeless. Thrust into the event was Pope Pius XII, who, as Eugenio Pacelli, was the last native Roman to be elected pope. Amazingly, in the aftermath of the bombardment, Pius XII left the protection of the Vatican and headed to San Lorenzo. He arrived at the site around 2:00 pm. According to reports, this was prior to the end of the raid (the last bombs weren’t dropped until around 2:30 pm). Word quickly spread of the pope’s arrival at San Lorenzo, and a massive crowd soon gathered where he stepped out of his car. It was reported the pope’s white cassock was stained with blood as he prayed with the crowd, blessed them, and consoled them for their losses. His show of courage earned him the epithet of Defensor Civitatis, Defender of the City.  Pope Pius XII Visits the Piazza San Giovanni after air raid of Rome, August 13, 1943 From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain One month later, on August 13, 1943, Allied bombs again fell on Rome, this time in the neighborhood of San Giovanni. Ironically, Pope Pius was in the area to celebrate a previously-scheduled Mass for the victims of the July 19 bombing. The photo above shows the pope, standing in front of the crowd with his arms stretched out, as if imploring heaven to spare them and the city further anguish. These were the only two major bombing raids on Rome during the final two years of the war. The city was spared further ruin, and many Romans attributed this to Pius XII’s public displays of concern and courage. It should be noted that Pope Pius XII was so moved was by the events of the day that he had hoped to be buried at the Basilica of San Lorenzo (the Pacelli family crypt is located near the entrance of the cemetery at Campo Verano and was damaged during the air raid). His wish would turn out to be impossible due to the damage suffered at the basilica. In 2023, Pope France recalled the events of July 19, 1943, on the 80th anniversary of the bombing: "“I want to recall that 80 years [ago], on July 19, 1943, certain neighborhoods of Rome, especially San Lorenzo, were bombed, and the pope, the Venerable Pius XII, wanted to be in the middle of his shocked people. Unfortunately, even today these tragedies repeat themselves. How is it possible? Have we lost memory? May the Lord have mercy on us, and free the human family from the scourge of war."REFERENCES: |
