Here is a book which covers th complete life of the spiritual lead< of 350,000,000 people Pope Piu XII. In fluid, readable style, Fathc r Doyle recounts the story of Eugeni* Pacelli's youthful aspiritions; hi eventful forty years' service a Church diplomat and statesman the colorful pageantry surround ing his election to the Papa Throne, and his courageous efforts to bring peace to a warring world. A fearless portrayal of the man whom Sumner Welles in 'The Time for Decision'* names "one of the constructive forces working for the regeneration of mankind", this book is also a lucid picture of the Catholic Church, its everyday life, its mechanics and organiza- tion, its colorful rituals and tradi- tions, and its role in national and international COPYRIGHT, 1945, BY DIDIER PUBLISHING Co. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publishers. MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA THE LIFE OF POPE PIUS XII TO MY MOTHER Contents CHAPTER PROLOGUE . I ONE . IN THE BEGINNING 2 TWO . , CHILDHOOD . 5 THREE . EARLY EDUCATION AND COLLEGE DAYS 14 FOUR . STEPS TO THE ALTAR 19 FIVE . THE PATH OF PROMOTION .... 26 SIX ... NUNCIO AT MUNICH 35 SEVEN . BROADENING PUBLIC LIFE . - . - 43 EIGHT . ELEVATED TO THE CARDINALATE , 54 NINE . STATEMENT OF THE ROMAN QUES- TION 62 TEN . SETTLEMENT OF THE ROMAN QUES- TION 68 ELEVEN . VERSATILE SECRETARY OF STATE . 79 TWELVE . CONCORDATS WITH BADEN AND GER- MANY 87 THIRTEEN PAPAL LEGATE TO BUENOS AIRES . 103 FOURTEEN PAPAL LEGATE VISITS SPAIN . 1 10 FIFTEEN . PAPAL LEGATE TO LOURDES . 122 SIXTEEN . CARDINAL PACEJLLI ON FIFTH AVE- NUE 133 SEVENTEEN .CARDINAL LEGATE AT SHRINE OF LITTLE FLOWER 143 EIGHTEEN . PAPAL LEGATE TO BUDAPEST . 155 NINETEEN CARDINAL PACELLI IN ROLE OF CAM- ERLENGO 165 ix x CONTENTS CHAPTER PACE TWENTY . ELECTION TO THE PAPACY . 171 TWENTY-ONE . THE CORONATION 183 TWENTY-TWO. THE POPE OF PEACE 193 TWENTY-THREE . THE POPE AS SOVEREIGN PONTIFF . 211 TWENTY-FOUR . THE POPE AS KING 227 TWENTY-FIVE . A PORTRAIT 236 BIBLIOGRAPHY 249 INDEX 253 Prologue IT WAS LATE in the evening of March 2, 1939, when the editor of a Berlin daily newspaper, the Morgenpost, laid aside the early edition of the Lokal Anzeiger. He had been scanning the opposition for its reaction to the election that very day of His Eminence, Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, to the Papacy. What he read pleased him. Ever since the day Pope Pius XI had died, all the city papers had been warning their readers against the election of Cardinal Pacelli. He was afraid, now that the election was a fait accompli, that the Lokal Anzeiger would change its policy. The last paragraph of the opposition's editorial convinced him that his fears were unfounded. He read it over and over : 'There were supposed to be many among the Cardinals who were for the election of a Pope who would devote himself ex- clusively to the saving of souls. Now the Cardinal with the greatest political experience has been elected." Pushing the Lokal Anzeiger to the back of the desk, he set about to finish his own editorial. He would be frank and concise. He would tell the readers just why the election of Cardinal Pacelli was catastrophic. And he did. The editorial ended with these words: "The election of Cardinal Pacelli is not accepted with favor in Germany because he was always opposed to Naziism and practically determined the policies of the Vatican under his predecessor." Little did he realize, as he buzzed for the copy boy, that he had unwittingly executed a document that would rejoice the hearts of millions of free men the world over for a generation. His open accusation that the newly elected Pontiff was anti- Nazi was a compliment beyond estimation ! CHAPTER ONE In the Beginning SIXTY-THREE YEARS to the day before the Prologue events took Pacelli place, or to be exact, on March 2, 1876, Marcantonio paced the floor of the spacious living room of his son's home, listening for the lusty wail that would indicate he was once more a grandfather. When the first sharp cry was heard he reverently made the Sign of the Cross. One more thing he must learn now. Was the third child, whom his beloved daughter-in-law Virginia had just brought into the world, a boy or a girl? A neighbor rushing past with a warm blanket must have read his questioning glance, for she simply said, "A boy," and hurried on. That was it. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. Stroking his grey beard, he stood for a moment as if trying to organize a plan of action. Then, deliberately, he put on his coat and hat and started down the three flights of stairs. Half- way in his descent, he stopped. He noticed that he was not wearing his yellow ribbon rosette (the Papal colors) on his lapel. Today above all others he must wear that symbol of loyalty to the Pope. It had been his badge of fealty to his Pontiff since the day the King of Italy seized the Papal States. Marcantonio Pacelli was a "Black," and proud of it. Other Romans there were who sided with the King. They were called "Whites." Still others straddled the fence: sometimes siding with the King and sometimes with the Pope. They were known as "Greys," or cafe-latte (coffee and milk). The Pacellis were consistently Blacks. The yellow rosette in place, Marcantonio again started down the long stairs. There was a certain excitement in his step. Through the half-open door he passed to the narrow, IN THE BEGINNING 3 winding, cobblestone street. That half-open door was another simple protest to the seizure of the Papal States. In Italy, in those days, when there was a death in the family, one half of the great front door was closed. The Blacks hit upon the idea of using the symbol as a sign of mourning for the loss of the Papal States. Even one of the great bronze doors leading to the Vatican itself remained half closed from the years 1870 to 1929. Once on the street, Marcantonio took the shortest route to St. Peter's. His son Philip would be just about ready to leave his office in the Vatican, where he worked as a lawyer for the Congregation of the Sacred Rota, that tribunal of the Roman Curia where cases relating to marriages, ordinations, and reli- gious professions are heard. He was proud that Philip had followed in his footsteps in the service of the Church, and had distinguished himself in his work. He held the only office that conferred upon one who was not a cleric the title of "Mon- signore" and permitted the wearing of a cope during the elabo- rate ceremonies of the canonization of a saint.1 Memories crowded in upon him as he walked along in the crisp air of the early spring. He knew every stone on that street. For years, he himself had trod that selfsame route to the Vatican, having been Minister of Finance for the Vatican States under Pope Gregory XVI and Minister of Foreign Affairs under Pius IX from 1851 to 1870. With these thoughts in his mind, he found himself near the parish church, called the Chiesa Nuova, where he met Philip, who had finished work early that afternoon and had started toward home. "Philip, my son, I have good news. The baby is born. It is a boy, and Virginia is well." "Deo gratias" said Philip, and together they entered the church to whisper their profound thanks. Surely the Apostle of Rome, St. Philip Neri, whose body lay buried there, had made intercession for them and had caused everything to go well with Virginia. Although thev left the church tocrether, Philip somehow kept 4 THE LIFE OF POPE PIUS XII Marc- walking far ahead of his father. At a turn in the street, antonio smiled as he caught a glimpse of his son now running toward home. the scene of the Two days later the Church of St. Celsus was christening. To the font, where an uncle, Monsignor Joseph the Pacelli, stood ready for the ceremony, marched father, Giuseppina and Francesco, sister and brother of the infant,* round-eyed and wondering, a few neighbors, and, of course, the proud grandfather, Marcantonio, with a new yellow rosette in his lapel. The godmother was Teresa Pacelli, a paternal aunt; Philip Graziosi, a maternal uncle, was god- father. The godparents were grateful that their charge had made no commotion during the ceremony. As they watched, the tiny fist was lifted in a gesture that was so marked as to be thought a sign. The godmother, convinced that the infant had made a lawyer's gesture, prophesied that he would follow his father's profession. The grandfather, however, shook his head firmly and declared that it was a blessing he gave. In a loud voice he declared, "It was the Sign of the Cross. He will be a priest some day." The years eventually proved that the grandfather had fore- told the future correctly. Little did Monsignor Pacelli think, as he wrote the names Eugenio Maria Joseph Pacelli, that some day, in that same bap- tismal register, someone would pen in the margin beside his entry the words "Pope Pius XII" and that from that day on the volume would be cherished as a great historical document in the Church of Santa Maria del Suffragio on the Via Giulia. No more did any of those present have any way of knowing that the simple marble baptistry, into which the cleansing waters of baptism fell from that tiny forehead, would be prized as a great treasure by future generations; and that the fame of the Church of St.