Pius XII is suspected of concealing the Holocaust

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Pope Francis announced the decision to open access to the secret archives of the Vatican in the time of Pius XII, who was head of the Catholic Church from 1939 to 1958. On it informs Agency Reuters.

About publication of these documents, the Jews asked the Holy see for decades. Pius XII is suspected of concealing the fact of the Holocaust during the Second world war. The Vatican claimed that Pius helped Jews in secret, in order not to worsen the situation for Catholics in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Francis said that the materials will be available March 2, 2020. “The Church is not afraid of history,” he said.

Pius XII is accused of aiding and abetting the extermination of Jews by the Nazis because he did not condemn the Holocaust publicly. The Vatican claims that through diplomacy Pius XII saved thousands of Jews, including sheltering them in the city-state.