Pope Francis on Monday announced that he has decided to open up the Vatican Secret Archives on World War II-era Pope Pius XII, who has been accused by Jews of staying silent on the Holocaust.
Many Jews have accused Pope Pius XII, who reigned from 1939 to 1958, of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust by not speaking out forcefully. However, the Vatican has defended Pope Pius XII, saying he used “behind-the-scenes diplomacy” to try to save lives.
The Vatican usually waits for 70 years after the end of a pontificate to open the archives. It has been under pressure to make the Pope Pius XII documentation available sooner, while Holocaust survivors are still alive.
Declaring that “the church isn’t afraid of history,” Pope Francis announced that the Vatican Secret Archives would be open to researchers on March 2, 2020.
