Pius XII

(1876–1958)

   Pope.

   Pius was born Eugenio Pacelli. An experienced diplomat for the Vatican, he was appointed Cardinal and Papal Secretary of State in 1930. Among his many achievements was the signing of a concordat with the Nazi government of Germany in 1933. He succeeded Pius XI in 1939 and is a figure of enormous controversy. He has been strongly criticised for his refusal to speak out against the atrocities which were occurring in Germany, particularly against the Jews. His admirers argue that he was silent because he knew that a protest would have aggravated the situation. He himself when asked whether he would protest against the extermination of the Jews, is said to have replied, ‘Dear friend, do not forget that millions of Catholics serve in the German armies. Shall I bring them into conflicts of conscience?’

   There is no doubt, however, that he did try to relieve the distress of prisoners. Among his many encyclicals, ‘Divino Afflante Spiritu’ seemed to open the way towards a more liberal attitude to biblical criticism, and he also introduced various liturgical reforms. In 1950 he defined the doctrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; he appointed a large number of new Cardinals, thus creating a more international Curia, and he made an attempt to improve relations with the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

   K. Burton, Witness of the Light: The Life of Pope Pius XII (1958);

   C. Falconi, The Silence of Pius XII (1970);

   S. Friedlander, Pius XII and the Third Reich (1966).