The Vatican will open the secret archives on Pope Pius XII, Pope Francis has announced.
Pope Pius led the Church through the Second World War, but has faced criticism for not speaking out more forcefully against the Nazis. Supporters say Pius worked behind the scenes to save Jews, and that ending the Holy See’s neutrality would have jeopardised that work.
Pope Francis said the Vatican will open the archives on March 2, 2020. “The Church is not afraid of history,” he said, adding that Pius’s legacy was subject to “some prejudice and exaggeration”.
