CHAPTER FOUR

RENEWAL AND CONDEMNATION

1. Pius XII: A New Dawn

The years ranging from 1935 to 1959 constitute the period that immedi- ately preceded the . Many of the issues raised and developed during that council can only be fully understood against the background of this period. However, historically seen, the developments that occurred from 1935 onward deserve attention in their own right, and not merely as a prelude to Vatican II. In fact, precisely in this era the full impact of Vatican I was felt at various church levels. In a first section, we consider the church historical developments, the period substantially coinciding with the duration of the pontificate of Pius XII (1939– 58). In a second part, we look at the various theological movements that emerged during this period. Before presenting a few central elements of the pontificate of Pope Pius XII, we briefly discuss the pre-papal career of Eugenio Pacelli. We cannot but begin, however, with his election as pope.1 After the death of Pius XI in February 1939, the conclave gathered to elect a new pope. A multitude of factors played a role, and for certain, the need was expressed to have a skilled diplomat as the future pope, needed against the political background on the eve of the Second World War. On of that year Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli—with but a minor challenge from other cardinals such as and Elia Angelo Dalla Costa—turned out to be the major candidate.2 After three ballots, the choice went to Eugenio Pacelli, who, neglecting the proposition to adopt the name Euge- nius, would take the name of Pius XII, as a clear expression of gratitude for Pius XI, who had strongly supported Pacelli as a possible successor. The

1 On Pope Pius XII, see, among others, the excellent biography by Philippe Chenaux, Pie XII: Diplomate et Pasteur [Histoire—Biographie] (Paris, 2003); Andrea Tornielli, Pio XII: Eugenio Pacelli: Un uomo sul trono di Pietro, (, 2007); Margherita Marchione, Pope Pius XII: History and Hagiography (, 2010). 2 On this conclave, see the notes found in the diary of Cardinal Baudrillart, Les carnets du cardinal Baudrillart, 1935–1939, ed. Paul Christophe [L’histoire à vif] (Paris, 1996), there pp. 973–7. Baudrillart noted without reservations that “dès le début le card. Pacelli prend une grande avance.” 102 chapter four reign of Pius XII would be a long pontificate and would only end in 1958, spanning World War Two and the first decade of the Cold War. Up until the present day, this pontificate has raised debate and even controversy, most of it surrounding the (non-)actions of Pius XII on behalf of Jewish people during the Second World War.3 The fact that the sections in the Vatican archives for the era of Pius XII, in this regard, have only been opened partially, simply adds more fuel to the fires of this controversy. In many studies on Pius XII, the authors tend to limit all attention to the “Jewish Problem” and read the entire pontificate—and occasionally his entire life—through this single perspective. Such a unilateral approach, as proposed for instance in ’s book Hitler’s Pope, holds risks of its own. In order to understand the role played by Pius XII, one must take into account his earlier career. At the age of 27, in 1903, Pacelli was appointed as a minutante at the ’s Secretariat of State. That appointment would be the first step in a long diplomatic career under the reigns of sev- eral . From the next year onward, he would assist Cardinal Gasparri in his codification of Canon Law, within the Congregation for Extraor- dinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, of which he would become the secretary in 1914. Therefore, already during World War One, Pacelli had became thor- oughly acquainted with Vatican diplomacy and gained the confidence of Benedict XV. The latter would serve as Pius XII’s model for the role of the Roman Pontiff in a situation of global crisis and war. It is Benedict XV who sent Pacelli on a peace mission to negotiate with the Austrian emperor in 1915; and in 1917 he had appointed Pacelli as in , in . In this diplomatic post, Pacelli was responsible both for the entire Ger- man speaking region during the war and conveyed the pope’s peace sug- gestions to the German emperor Wilhelm II. He witnessed first hand, after 1918, the devastating effects of the Versailles Treaty on German society, an experience that led him to declare that the treaty was “an international absurdity.” Pacelli had been reconfirmed in his opinion that the neutral position taken by Benedict XV (even while not respected by the Allied

3 See, for example these critics of Pius XII: John Cornwell, Hitler’s Pope: The Secret His- tory of Pius XII (London, 1999); , A Moral Reckoning: The Role of the Cath- olic Church in and Its Unfulfilled Duty of Repair (New York, 2003); and , Pius XII en de vernietiging van de joden (Antwerpen and Amsterdam, 2008). As “pro-Pius XII” we note for example David G. Dalin, The Myth of Hitler’s Pope: How Pope Pius XII Rescued from the Nazis (Washington, 2005); Ronald Rychlak, Hitler, the War and the Pope (Huntington, 2000); and Hans Jansen, De zwijgende paus? Het protest van Pius XII en zijn medewerkers tegen de jodenvervolging in Europa (Kampen, 2000).