Daily
|
| Pope Pius X |
| Pope Pius XI |
| Pope Pius XII |
| Pope Paul VI |
Your answer was: Pope Pius XII. |
Answer: When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, his papers were sealed in the Vatican Secret Archives, leaving unanswered questions about what he knew and did during World War II. Pope Francis’ decision to allow public access, came in 2020 after decades of requests from historians who wished to find out for themselves how much the wartime Pope knew about Nazi Germany’s campaign to exterminate the Jewish people and what action he took to try to halt it. Those questions have only grown and festered, making Pius XII one of the most controversial popes in Church history. The Vatican's chief librarian, Cardinal José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça, said all researchers, regardless of nationality, faith and ideology, are welcome. 'The church is not afraid of history,' he said, echoing Pope Francis' words when he announced in 2019 his intention to open the Pius XII archives. More than 150 scholars have applied to study documents covering his papacy, which lasted from 1939 to 1958. Books are already appearing summarizing an author's review of the archived material. Le Bureau: Les Juifs de Pie XII (The Office: The Jews of Pius XII) (published in French) by Professor Johan Ickx, a Church historian from Belgium and head of the Secretariat of State archives, who since 2010 has had privileged access to nearly two million documents. Brown University professor and author David I. Kertzer has also written a book, The Pope at War, based on his review of the documents. I am sure there will be more books published, each providing the author's own interpretation of the documents of Pope Pius XII. 'Almost-Forgotten Gem of 2020: The Vatican’s Opening of the Pope Pius XII Archives' on NationalCatholicRegister.com  Pope Pius XII 239 (1958) |
