POPE PIUS XII
March,1876- October,1958
About Pope Pius XII
-reigned as Pope on 2 March 1939.
-Pius XII lobbied world leaders to avoid war.
-He believed National Socialism was profoundly anti-Christian and a danger to Catholicism
During WWII
-Spoke out against race-based murders and other atrocities.
-He was consistently besieged with pleas for help on behalf of the Jews.
-Spoke generally against extermination camps.
-He saved at least 700,000 jewish lives.
-He appealed to several Latin American governments to accept emergency passports.
After WWII
- After the war Pius XII advocated peace and reconciliation, including lenient policies towards Axis.
- He focused on material aid to war-torn Europe, an internal internationalization of the Roman Catholic Church.