Pope Venerable Pius XII

In a laudable move from the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, Pope Pius XII, who was the pope from 1939-1958, was elevated to the status of a “venerable.” This is one of the steps towards eventually being declared a saint.

This has been a long and turbulent process, with several unfounded or exaggerated claims against this esteemed pope, who led the Church and the world through the horrors of the Second World War.

Few people have ever been declared a “Defender of the City of Rome.” The most well-known is St. Leo the Great, who defended Rome from Attila the Hun in the fifth century AD. Pope Pius XII, however, after World War II, was declared a “Defender of the City.” The square in front of St. Peter’s Square is named after him under this title. Here’s the marker:

Furthermore, it is particularly remarkable that the Chief Rabbi of Rome who was so impressed by the witness of Pope Pius XII that after the war, he converted to Catholicism and took the pope’s given name as his own baptismal name.

These are just two of the various facts that help us to understand the confusing and sporadic era of the Second World War. Certainly, there is a need for greater research and explanation.

I do, however, pray that one day our world will better understand what Pope Pius XII sought to accomplish, what he did accomplish in a difficult time in human history, and what he has passed on to future generations.

Here is a picture of Pope Benedict XVI praying at the tomb of Pope Pius XII:

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 20th, 2009 at 5:50 pm and is filed under Blog Archive. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.