Part I - Pius XII’s Death
People were awakened in Rome soon after dawn as church bells tolled on Thursday the 9th of October, 1958. Eugenio Pacelli’s career had ended. The Italian government ordered three days of national mourning in Rome. Not only were Italian flags at half-staff, but all theatres and amusement places were closed. Pius XII died at 3:52 a.m., in a plain white iron bed overhung with a white canopy in his room on the second floor of the Papal villa in Castelgandolfo, his summer residence. He was the 262nd Pope, the leader of the world’s almost 500 million Catholics during one of the most burdensome times in the 2,000 year history of the Catholic Church. His was a brilliant and energetic career as Pope for 19 years and 7 months.
During the hours he lay in state in Castelgandolfo, mourners filled the main square in front of the building, as well as roads leading in from the countryside. A motorcade proceeded along the Appian Way. Carlo Tei, who now resides in Hong Kong, wrote (March 12, 2008): “As a young student in Rome, I joined the procession of the people accompanying the body of the Pontiff, from Castelgandolfo to the Vatican. We all felt we were accompanying a ‘saint’ to the Holy City, the new and eternal Jerusalem.”
Pius XII’s body was taken first to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Pope’s titular church in his capacity as Bishop of Rome. Then it was taken in solemn procession to the Vatican where he lay in state for three days under Michelangelo’s gigantic dome in the Basilica of St. Peter. Pius XII’s body was clothed in pontifical robes and lifted on to a five-foot catafalque. Covered with red damask, the catafalque had a sloping top so that the Pontiff’s head was considerably higher than his feet, affording a full view to the public. From 6 a.m. on October 11th when the bronze doors of St. Peter’s Basilica were opened to 8 p.m. when they were closed, thousands upon thousands of mourners walked around the Pontiff’s bier. This continued until noon of October 13th.
Deep emotion was evident and many shed tears as they passed near Pope Pius XII’s corpse. People of all races knelt in prayer. Nine solemn funeral Masses were sung in St. Peter’s Basilica. On the 13th, the doors were closed at noon to prepare for the funeral ceremonies, which began at 4 p.m. Representatives from governments around the world and diplomats accredited to the Holy See were present, as well as his family, and Sister Pascalina, who served him for forty years. During the singing of the “Miserere” the Pope’s body was removed from the catafalque and placed in a strong box of cypress. A white silk mask was placed over his face and hands. At his feet a red velvet purse containing a sample of each coin and medal struck by the Vatican during the Pope’s reign, which would serve as identification centuries later.
Fifty years later, in spite of five decades of misinformation and calumny, Catholics everywhere continue to venerate Pius XII, whose efforts during World War II saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust. He was not a “silent Pope.” He explicitly condemned the “wickedness of Hitler” citing him by name, and spoke out about the “fundamental rights of Jews.” The wisdom of his words and actions is supported by the evidence. Jewish scholar Jenö Levai stated in his testimony at the Adolf Eichmann Nazi War Crime Trials: “Pius XII—the one person who did more than anyone else to halt the dreadful crime and alleviate its consequences—is today made the scapegoat for the failures of others.”
Pope Pius XII’s peace efforts, his denunciation of Nazism, his defense of the Jewish people, have been clearly documented. Albert Einstein concluded in Time Magazine (December 23, 1940): “Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign for suppressing the truth.” Countless expressions of gratitude on the part of Jewish chaplains and Holocaust survivors, give witness to the assistance and compassion of the Pope for the Jews before, during, and after the Holocaust. Rabbi David Dalin states that “to deny the legitimacy of their collective gratitude to Pius XII is tantamount to denying their memory and experience of the Holocaust itself, as well as to denying the credibility of their personal testimony and judgment about the Pope’s role in rescuing hundreds of thousands of Jews from certain death at the hands of the Nazis.” As a moral leader and a diplomat forced to limit his words, he privately took action. Broadcasting in German in April 1943, Vatican Radio protested a long list of Nazi horrors, including “an unprecedented enslavement of human freedom, the deportation of thousands for forced labor, and the killing of innocent and guilty alike.”
Throughout World War II, Pius XII so provoked the Nazis that they called him “a mouthpiece of the Jewish war criminals.” Jewish historian and Holocaust survivor, Michael Tagliacozzo, wrote a letter to the daily newspaper “Davàr” (Tel Aviv, April 23, 1985) which states: “Little known is the precious help of the Holy See. On the recommendation of Pius XII, the religious of every order did their best to save Jews.”
All experts who witnessed that era agree that if Pius XII had stridently attacked the Nazi leaders, more lives would have been lost. Fifty years later, I interviewed Carlo Sestieri, a Jewish survivor who was hidden in the Vatican. In a letter to me, he suggested that “only the Jews who were persecuted understand why the Holy Father could not publicly denounce the Nazi-Fascist government. Without a doubt, it helped avoid worse disasters.”
The world looked with pride and admiration at the many-sided career of Pope Pius XII. His virtuous life speaks for itself. On December 13, 1954, a picture story entitled “Years of a Great Pope,” appeared in Life magazine. The author states that Pius XII was deserving of the title “Great Pope” because he sought “peace for the world and the spirit” during World War II. For almost two decades, he was “unbending, working with devotion and all the skills of diplomacy to mitigate the burdens of a beleaguered world.”
Part II - Jews Interviewed in 1995-1996
“Whoever saves one life...it is as though he had saved the whole world”(BT Sanhedrin IV.5). Among the small population of approximately 50,000 Jewish residents in Italy, there were generals, cabinet ministers, prime ministers, scientists, educators and professionals in all fields of learning. While remaining faithful to their own Jewish beliefs, Jews blended with the Italians, and they mutually respected each other.
The Berlin Government expressed its dissatisfaction with the Italian military because of its policy of postponements in the implementation of the racial laws during World War II. Italian Jews found both material aid and moral comfort in the Catholic Church. They understood that Pope Pius XII could not take a public stand against the Nazis without endangering the lives of other human beings. Not only in Rome, but Catholics everywhere helped Jews hide. In the mountains of northern Italy, a group of 15 Jews were hidden in two shepherds’ huts. Among them were babies suffering from the cold. To their amazement, the following morning a procession of people arrived carrying jugs of milk, buckets of food and straw to sleep on. That morning the priest told them about people on the mountainside with small children who had nothing to eat and that it was their duty to help them.
Jozef and Wiktoria Ulm, who was nine months pregnant, and their six small children, were shot by the Nazis. They ran a fruit orchard, and eight Jews were hidden in their farmhouse in Poland during the Holocaust. Wiktoria was nine months pregnant when she and her family were executed for sheltering them on March 24, 1944.
People everywhere in Europe saved Jews. Georgio Perlasca once stated: “The world does not need heroes, men who want to be known in history; but it does need persons who, by their humanity, know how to be history.” He worked for an Italian importing firm in Budapest, Hungary. When Mussolini fell in July 1943, he remained by changing his name to the Spanish Jorge, assuming the role as a Spanish diplomat, issuing protective passes and saving 5,000 Hungarian Jews.
Jorgen Kieler, a 23 year-old medical student, worked with the Resistance in Copenhagen. He learned that the Germans were preparing to round up their Jewish neighbors. With his friends he helped organize 13 fishing boats that carried more than 800 Jews to Sweden.
Oswald Rufeisen, now known as Father Daniel and living in a monastery on Mount Carmel overlooking the Mediterranean, was hidden in a convent from August 1942 to December 1943, in the town of Mir, Poland, where 12 nuns suspected of feeding partisans were later executed by the Nazis, who mercilessly raided churches and convents and tortured their own countrymen.
In a letter to me, dated June 18, 1997, Michael Tagliacozzom, the Jewish historian and Holocaust survivor mentioned above, clearly expressed his sentiments: “In my study of the conditions of the Jews, I pointed out the generous and vast activity of the Church in favor of the victims. I learned how great was Pope Pacelli’s (reference to Pope Pius XII’s birth name, Eugenio Pacelli) paternal solicitude. No honest person can discount his merits. He was the only one who intervened to impede the deportation of Jews on October 16, 1943, and he did very much to hide and save thousands of us. It was no small matter that he ordered the opening of cloistered convents. Without him, many of our own would not be alive.”
Again, years later, in a letter to me dated August 8, 2004, Michael Tagliacozzo reiterated his convictions: “Any apology on the actions of Pius XII must be considered superfluous. This is clear to all men of good will and is entrusted above all to the memory of those Jews, now living, who have not forgotten the efforts and solicitude of Pope Pacelli…. One must add the many expressions of gratitude of those whose lives were saved in the religious houses in Rome, Assisi and elsewhere. Even if gratitude was expressed directly to the institutions that protected them, the merit goes to Pope Pacelli who, on October 16, 1943, gave orders to open the doors of the parishes, convents and monasteries to save the Jews from deportation.”
Michael Tagliacozzo also wrote a letter to the daily newspaper Davàr, which states: “Little known is the precious help of the Holy See. On the recommendation of Pius XII the religious of every order did their best to save Jews. In great numbers, especially the elderly, women and children were welcomed in the convents that opened their doors offering refuge and assistance. Children in orphanages were sent to monasteries. Even in the Vatican, almost under the Pope’s windows, Jews found refuge hiding from the clutches of the Gestapo.” The figures show that about 5,000 were hiding in ecclesiastical institutions.
L’Osservatore Romano (January 5, 1946) reported a statement by Reuben Resnick, American Director of the Committee to Help Jews in Italy, declaring that “all the members of the Catholic hierarchy in Italy, from cardinals to priests, saved the lives of thousands of Jews - men, women, and children - who were hosted and hidden in convents, churches, and other religious institutions.” Another article on April 5, 1946 was addressed to His Holiness, Pius XII: “The delegates of the Congress of the Italian Jewish Communities, held in Rome for the first time after the Liberation, feel that it is imperative to extend reverent homage to Your Holiness, and to express the most profound gratitude that animates all Jews for your fraternal humanity toward them during the years of persecution when their lives were endangered by Nazi-Fascist barbarism.”
Monsignor Giovanni Ferrofino, an eyewitness and participant, tells the story about 400 visas needed for Portuguese refugees who had been refused admittance to the United States. In a letter to me dated March 19, 2001, from France, he wrote: “During the war, I was at Port-au-Prince as secretary to Archbishop Maurilio Silvani (1882-1946), who had collaborated with Pacelli in Baveria when he was Secretary of State and during negotiations on the Concordat with Germany. In 1942, instructions came to Nuncio Silvani from Pius XII instructing him to ask General Rafael Leonida Trujillo, dictator of the Dominican Republic, to grant 400 visas to Jews.” When approached, the General stated that he could not refuse the Pope. Of course, he had certain conditions. Gradually, all the Jewish refugees--except Herta Brawer, an Austrian-Jewish ballerina, and her husband--entered the United States via Mexico and joined their relatives. Monsignor Ferrofino declared that soon after several similar shiploads of Jews landed in the Dominican Republic, thanks to Pope Pius XII.
The Holy Father’s Christmas message of 1942 included an appeal to respect the rights of each individual. Unfortunately, the UN declaration omitted any mention of the name of God or the divine origin of man in its preamble. After much discussion, a compromise was reached and the preamble read: “The respect of the human person and of its dignity imposes itself independently of any contractual engagement. The religions proclaim man’s divine origin and the peoples recognize that principle as one of the foundations of any civilization.” Along with 58 states, the Holy See signed the four conventions on December 12, 1949.
Personally and through his representatives, Pius XII employed all the means at his disposal to save Jews and other refugees during World War II. As a moral leader and a diplomat forced to limit his words, he privately took action and, despite insurmountable obstacles, saved Jews from the gas chambers. Broadcasting in German in April 1943, Vatican Radio protested a long list of Nazi horrors, including “an unprecedented enslavement of human freedom, the deportation of thousands for forced labor, and the killing of innocent and guilty alike.”
Pius XII desired to have peace founded on spiritual and intellectual cooperation. In an address to a group of American Senators (November 17, 1949) Pius XII concluded: “The only genuine guarantee of peace is to be sought not in force but in the soul of a nation, that is to say, in the inner life of its people.” For him, justice and charity were “two strong pillars upholding civil society and indispensable to a world seeking peace.” In accord with the principles of the Atlantic Charter, the Holy See also supported the American project known as “Point Four” of President Truman’s program of worldwide aid to all underdeveloped countries.
When he passed away on October 9, 1958, an editorial, “Fighter for Peace,” in the Los Angeles Examiner, expressed the sentiments of Catholics and non-Catholics: “Pius XII was known as ‘the Pope of Peace’… Never, during these troubled years did Pius XII lose his gift of gracious beneficence. No other Pope received so many people. They numbered many millions. Whether the audiences were large or small, he conveyed a sense of intimacy and understanding. His gifts to them were hope and courage. This fighter for peace is now in peace with God.”
Indeed, Eugenio Pacelli’s life was spent in the service of justice and peace. Leaders of all nations conferred with him on matters of state, economics, and social interests. “With his death, a great light went out on earth and a new star was lit in heaven.” This quote is from the final tribute that was read and buried with Pope Pius XII on October 13, 1958.
For the 50th anniversary of Pius XII’s death, my new book, The Truth Will Set You Free (Paulist Press, 2008), issues a challenge to all Catholics to learn the truth and speak out courageously. The Foreword by Cardinal Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone, casts a great deal of light on the present pontificate’s thinking about the campaign against Pius XII: “How profoundly unjust it is to draw a veil of prejudice over the work of Pius XII during the war….directives given on the radio, in the press, and through diplomatic channels were clear. In that tragic year of 1942 he told everyone: ‘Action, not lamentation, is the precept of the hour.’ ”
Part III - Conclusion
One cannot fail to recall that, unofficially, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was the first Papal Secretary of State to set foot in the United States. In fact, on November 6, 1936, he had lunch with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at Hyde Park, New York. One must also acknowledge Pius XII’s interest in the United Nations. Through Catholic international organizations and Catholic members of national delegations, the Holy See’s influence was seen in the non-political branches of the UN. Whenever religious and moral problems were discussed, the Catholic Church was heard. A case in point was the Economic and Social Council of the UN, which constituted a clear recognition of the principles, always stressed by the Papacy, that the problem of peace was not exclusively political. According to its constitution, the Economic and Social Council granted so-called “consultative status” to a large number of non-governmental international organizations. A special commission was assigned the task of drafting the Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations Assembly, December 10, 1948.
In his 1950 Holy Year prayer, Pius XII included a special appeal to God to grant “peace in our days, peace to souls, peace to families, peace to our country, peace among nations.” On August 21, 1950, in his encyclical Humani Generis, he refuted modern philosophical doctrines which are irreconcilable with the Catholic faith. In many of his writings, Pius XII includes cooperation with non-Catholics in the defense of principles and ideals which all believers in God, in the dignity of the human person, and in the supremacy of spiritual values have in common.
On December 6, 1950, he made an urgent appeal for a crusade of prayer to avert the horrors of war: “East and West do not represent opposite ideals, but share a common heritage, to which both have generously contributed and to which both are called to contribute in the future also. By virtue of her divine mission, (the Church) is a mother to all peoples, and a faithful ally and wise guide to all who seek peace.” The Pope concluded his Holy Year message by stating that “the Vicar of Christ knows no duty more sacred, no mission more gratifying than that of being the unwearied advocate of peace.”
Part IV - Commentary
Eugenio Pacelli played an important role in the twentieth century. He was a diplomat and represented Benedict XV during World War I. He later became Secretary of State to Pius XI and, on March 2, 1958, was elected Pope. In spite of five decades of misinformation and calumny, Catholics throughout the world continue to venerate Pius XII, whose efforts during World War II saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust. His peace efforts, his denunciation of Nazism, and his defense of the Jewish people, have been clearly documented. He was a peacemaker and inspired hope. On December 24, 1954, he spoke of this mission: “We feel that it was the intention of Divine Providence to assign Us the particular mission of helping to lead mankind back to the paths of peace.”
In 1938, when Europe was facing the threat of communism and fascism, British historian Christopher Dawson wrote: “A society which has lost its religion becomes sooner or later a society which has lost its culture.” In an essay, “The Teacher of the Nations,” he speaks of the pontificate of Pope Pius XII as “one of the most momentous in the history of the Church.” According to Dawson, “No pope in the entire history of Christendom has been so unwearied in his public utterances or has made fuller use of all the available means of communication. He has spoken to the Church as a whole, to each nation separately and to every kind of group and professional organization.”
Pius XII dedicated countless audiences and allocutions to international organizations and societies, both Catholic and non-Catholic. He explained that “the essential purpose of social life is to preserve, develop and perfect the human person, by facilitating the due fulfillment and realization of the religious and cultural laws and values which the Creator has assigned to every man and to the human race, both as a whole and in its natural grouping.”
Dawson rightly stated that the pontificate of Pius XII foreshadowed the birth of a new Christendom, “a society which is not confined as in the past to a single group of nations and a single civilization, but which is common to every people and language and unites all the members of the human family in the divine community of the Mystical Body of Christ.” He discusses the establishment of the General Assembly of the United Nations and the numerous subsidiary institutions for cultural and economic purposes.
In his Christmas broadcast of 1942 on The Rights of Man, Pius XII stated that every member of the human family has “the immutable right…to a constitution and administration of justice inspired by the conviction and understanding that it is their essential duty to serve the common good.” Speaking to the College of Cardinals, February 20, 1946, Pius XII speaks to the nations as the representative of the only power that can “lead man back from the shadows into the light. The Church alone can make him conscious of the past, master of the present and secure for the future…. Like the mother of a family, she gathers around her all her sons scattered over the world and brings them into the unity of her vital Divine Principle.”
Part V – Epilogue
Pope Pius XII did what the Vicar of Christ had to do during World War II. He was a staunch fighter for peace, and safeguarded the Church of Christ from destruction. In addition, he did everything in his power to save as many Jews as possible from the Holocaust. He was an unambiguous enemy of Nazism, as is evident from all written records of that time, which record the saintly life he lived. For the past 12 years, thousands of faithful admirers of Pope PIus XII have sent me their own reflections and comments. As one correspondent stated: “The Vatican needs to speak up and proceed with the beatification and canonization of Pope Pius XII. The only reason for delay is due to Israel’s demand that the Church wait 50 years before proceeding.”
Among hundreds of statements received, I selected the following for your inspiration:
“This should have been done a long time ago. How this Holy Father has been maligned is unbelievable and scandalous. This was a great man who put his own life as well as the life of the church at great risk to save the lives of so many. This action must truly be done for not only the good of the church but for all. May He rest in peace and receive the recognition he so deserves.” - Jo-Ann Glasser, Salem, Ohio
“A glowing bright face, with a large smile, presented His Eminence with beautiful flowers here in the USA as a child. I followed for many years, the writings of this wonderful man. I am happy that the Lord blessed his efforts, as he has blessed me through the years. Congratulations on your arrival home, Your Holiness. See you again in heaven.” - Karen Marie Morris, Fontana, California
“Not only was Pope Pius XII a virtuous, holy man who has been unjustly slandered in recent years, as a personal note, he was a friend and classmate of my great-grandfather's, and they corresponded with each other for years.” - Eddie Masters, Glasco, New York
“Pope Pius XII has done much for the world during his term in office. He was devoted to peace and he serves as an inspiration to those trying to avert a World War III. He indeed was an expert diplomat and condemned Nazism.” - Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro, The Philippines
“It is quite hard to believe that Pope Pius XII has not been at least beatified, for it was after him that I chose my Confirmation name. If he is not in Heaven, then, pray me, who is?” - Robert Scott “Bo” Frey, Salem, Oregon
“Our Holy Father, of happy memory, Pope Pius XII, was a loving and caring shepherd. I was always inspired by his gentle demeanor, his prayerful appearance, his wit and wisdom. He was a voice for ALL those persecuted. His efforts during World War II show his great love and compassion for ALL people. He was a wise and prudent Servant of the Servants of God. I pray daily for his Beatification and long for the day of his Canonization.” - Rev. John J. Feminelli, Corpus Christi, Texas
“I hope and pray that Pope Pius XII will be raised to sainthood in our Church. … I encourage people to pray for Pope Pius XII’s intercession. I remember him as a gentle holy man with great dignity who conveyed an air of holiness. … God Bless you.” - Treasa van Ommen Kloeke, Calgary,AB,Canada
“As a Roman Catholic I think that the sainthood of Pope Pius XII is a necessity. I believe that not only was he a holy man; but also he was a man who guided the Church of Christ during the most dangerous time in the history of humanity, World War II. His staunch condemnation of totalitarism and his numerous initiatives to do everything in his power to protect the Jews from extermination, must be recognize by the Church by elevating him to the altars. He was truly a holy Man. May God hear our prayer.” - Francisco Olivas, Nicaragua
“Pius XII was for me as a child a fascinating example. The “Pastor Angelicus” inspired me to become a priest myself!” - Edward Tratsaert, Republic of South Africa
“I think Pius XII is one of the great Popes in the history of the Church. He certainly deserves to be honored with beatification, He doesn't deserve the criticism of people who don't know, and don't seem to want to know about a man who did what he could at a difficult period in history.” - David Bernard McGuire, Saint Peter, Minnesota
“Men like Pius bring back my faith. In these days when people don't believe in God, that everybody takes the first chance to jump on the church, it’s God's shepherds like Pius that bring back the strayed sheep. If you want proof of Pius miracles, just think of how more than 50 years after his death, his actions keep the youth on the path of God.” - Emilio Zucco, Dominican Republic
“Reading his beautiful and orthodox encyclicals and sermons make me convinced of his sanctity.” - Bo Hagerf, Mariefred, Sweden
“I have long been convinced that pope Pius XII is one of our greatest Popes. We pray for his beatification and to him now for the Papacy and the Church as a whole. He was also my father’s favorite pope. I was 10 years old when he died and still remember that morning when my father who rarely showed tears, cried.” - Bill and Sheree Henzey, St Louis, Missouri
“Pius XII's works speak for themselves. I believe in Latin the saying is “Ipsa Loquitor”; and it truly applies to this Holy man. He should be venerated.” - Michael C. Sena, New York, New York
“His Holiness Pope Pius XII amazes me with his great letters to all of the world. He's a genius in mind and generous in heart. I hope and I pray that he will be a saint because he really was a holy man.” - Martino Damiano, Mahendra, Indonesia.
“I pray every day for the beatification of Pope Pius XII…... Please, let me know what I could do to help toward this beatification that so many people hope for.” - Michel Strykers, Brussels, Belgium.
“Pope Pius XII is my great great grand uncle. My mother is Amalita Pacelli and my uncle bears the same name as the pope, Eugenio Pacelli. My mother has told me countless stories of how Pope Pius XII saved many Jews by hiding them in catholic churches. It is about time that he is recognized for what he actually did.” - Niccolo Barattieri di San Pietro, London, UK
“The pope's devotion to the Catholic Church and its true doctrine and his efforts to help the Jewish people during World War II are heroic.” - Laura Fernandez, California
“It is tragic that so much time has passed without Pius' beatification. This man is obviously a saint and we need our Church to proclaim him as such and ignore the slanders that continue against him.” - Robert Kumpel, Valdosta, GA, USA
“My mother always told me that Pope Pius XII was my Pope! I was born during his reign as The Holy Father. During my upbringing, I recall my Mother and the beloved Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary instructing me on the teachings and encyclicals written by this brilliant, forthright and Godly man! It is shameful that persons can rewrite history and weave their untruths to besmerch such a truly, pious and saintly Pope. I grew to admire my Pope, my Papa, Pope Pius XII.” - Robert E. Freese, Arizona
“With the election of Joseph Ratzinger as Pope, I am encouraged that he will move forward the cause for the beatification and canonization of Pope Pius XII.” - Frank Dellorfano, Hingham, Massachusetts
“Your Holiness, I beg you to please consider canonizing Pope Pius XII. You spoke very highly of the man. And I appreciate that. Never mind what the other organizations say. Don’t hold back. Pius XII has interceded for me and cured my learning disability.” - Nick Wehri, Delphos, Ohio
Pope Pius XII, Pray for us!
Sister Margherita Marchione has been a sister with the Religious Sisters Filippini since September 2, 1935. She is a Fulbright Scholar; a Columbia University Garibaldi Scholar; has been inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame; and has received Papal award "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross". She is the author of a number of books. You can visit her website at http://www.sistermargherita.com/.
