43 Facts About Pius XII

1. Pope Pius XII was widely venerated during his lifetime, and proceedings for his beatification were begun in 1965.

2. Pius XII died at Castel Gandolfo, the summer residence of the popes, on Oct 9, 1958.

3. Pius XII was the first pope to make use of the radio on an extensive scale.

4. Pius XII ruled autocratically, imposed his views, and expected exact obedience from all.

5. Pius XII reaffirmed previous accounts of Pius having been a saviour of thousands of Europe's Jews.

6. Pius XII was buried in the grottos beneath St Peter's Basilica in a simple tomb in a small chapel.

7. Pius XII could have lived another 20 years, had he spared himself.

8. Pope Pius XII still addressed lay people and groups about a wide range of topics.

9. Pius XII took a firm stand against pastoral experiments, such as "worker-priests", who worked full-time in factories and joined political parties and unions.

10. Pius XII was responsible for giving the appellative title, The Catholic University of the Philippines to the then Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas.

11. Pius XII was concerned too about the potential spread of Communism in Western Europe and the Americas.

12. Pius XII demanded recognition of local cultures as fully equal to European culture.

13. In late 1942, Pius XII advised German and Hungarian bishops to speak out against the massacres on the Eastern Front.

14. Pius XII is clearly speaking on behalf of the Jews.

15. Pius XII was criticised for his reception of Pavelic: an unattributed British Foreign Office memo on the subject described Pius as "the greatest moral coward of our age".

16. Pius XII warned the Allies of the planned German invasion of the Low Countries in 1940.

17. Pius XII wrote of a persecuted Church and a time requiring "charity" for victims who had a "right" to compassion.

18. Pius XII reiterated Church teaching on the "principle of equality"—with specific reference to Jews: "there is neither Gentile nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision".

19. In 1939, Pius XII turned the Vatican into a centre of aid which he organized from various parts of the world.

20. Pius XII lobbied world leaders to prevent the outbreak of World War II and then expressed his dismay that war had come in his October 1939 Summi Pontificatus encyclical.

21. Pope Pius XII canonized numerous people, including Pope Pius X—"both were determined to stamp out, as far as possible, all traces of dangerous heterodoxy"—and Maria Goretti.

22. Pius XII asks for prayer for better understanding and unification of the Churches.

23. Pius XII issued 41 encyclicals during his pontificate—more than all his successors in the past 50 years taken together—along with many other writings and speeches.

24. Pius XII accepted the rhythm method as a moral form of family planning, although only in limited circumstances, within the context of family.

25. Pius XII delivered numerous speeches to medical professionals and researchers.

26. Pius XII was consecrated as a bishop on 13 May 1917, the very first day of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima.

27. Pius XII gave a new freedom to engage in theological investigations.

28. Pius XII explained the Catholic faith in 41 encyclicals and almost 1000 messages and speeches during his long pontificate.

29. Pius XII included a "pastoral year", an introduction into the practice of parish work.

30. Pius XII added one year to the theological formation of future priests.

31. Pius XII emphasised the need to systematically analyze the psychological condition of candidates to the priesthood to ensure that they are capable of a life of celibacy and service.

32. Pius XII chose not to name new cardinals during World War II, and the number of cardinals shrank to 38, with Dennis Joseph Dougherty of Philadelphia being the only living US cardinal.

33. Pius XII supported the elevation of Americans such as Cardinal Francis Spellman from a minor to a major role in the Church.

34. Pius XII was one of only two men known to have served as Camerlengo immediately prior to being elected as pope.

35. Pius XII was the first cardinal Secretary of State to be elected pope since Clement IX in 1667.

36. Pius XII sent his vice chancellor Franz von Papen, a Catholic nobleman and member of the Centre Party, to Rome to offer negotiations about a Reichskonkordat.

37. Pius XII expected the concordat with Catholic Bavaria to be the model for the rest of Germany.

38. Pius XII blocked French attempts for an ecclesiastical separation of the Saar region, supported the appointment of a papal administrator for Danzig and aided the reintegration of priests expelled from Poland.

39. Pius XII met with Soviet representatives including Foreign Minister Georgi Chicherin, who rejected any kind of religious education, the ordination of priests and bishops, but offered agreements without the points vital to the Vatican.

40. Pius XII negotiated food shipments for Russia, where the Church was persecuted.

41. Pius XII received his first assignment as a curate at Chiesa Nuova.

42. Pius XII was enrolled at the State University, La Sapienza where he studied modern languages and history.

43. Pius XII eliminated the Italian majority in the College of Cardinals in 1946.