The Story of the Pope

Pope Pius XI dies on 10 Feb 1939 after seventeen years of service as pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and is buried in St. Peter's Basilica four days later. Cardinals come to Vatican City from all over the world to pick a new pope, who must be elected by a two-thirds majority. Following a centuries old tradition, white smoke issues from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. It announces the election of a new pope, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, former papal secretary of state to Pius XI. Pacelli, the 262nd successor to St. Peter, chooses the name Pius XII. The new pontiff's life began in Rome on 2 Mar 1875: Eugenio Joseph John Pacelli is the son of a lawyer. His religious training begins at St. Philip Neri, then continues at a four-hundred-year-old seminary that has produced many cardinals and popes. On 2 Apr 1899, the young man is ordained a priest and at twenty-two, earns a doctorate in canon law. Teaching canon law is Pacelli's job until 1914 when the papal secretary of state, Cardinal Gaspari, asks him to become an assistant in the Office of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs. Pacelli's career progresses when he is made a bishop in 1917 and a cardinal in 1929. On 7 Feb 1930, he succeeds Gaspari as the secretary of state, a very important diplomatic position. Pacelli's love for the Eucharistic Congresses takes him to Argentina and Lourdes, among other places, and in 1935, he visits the United States, where Bishop Francis J. Spellmen acts as his guide. Pacelli speaks at Fordham University, encouraging the students to develop morally as well as intellectually. Later, war breaks out in Europe, and Pacelli's heart is anguished as he becomes pope in the midst of dark days and great persecution. Pius XII, who is the shepherd of over 340,000,000 souls, had bodyguards, who have been provided by the Swiss since the fifteenth century, as well as the Palantine Guard, a voluntary position of great honor for Roman citizens. The Pope grants many public audiences and welcomes all of his visitors, regardless of rank or origin. During the war, Pius XII oversees the operation of the Vatican Bureau of Information, which is run by nuns, and every year answers over 150,000 inquiries about missing persons. Replies are sent out regardless of race or religion, and Pius XII is proud of his friendship with the Jews, to whose persecution he strongly objects. Pius XII's visitors also include Archbishop Francis Joseph Spellman, Winston Churchill, U.S. presidential representative Myron Taylor and soldiers of many countries, whom the Pope welcomes gladly, as he considers all soldiers his sons. At one of his regular radio broadcasts, the Pope is able to reach more people than Saints Peter and Paul did in their entire lifetimes. The Pope's heavy workload is relieved by his appreciation of the Vatican's beautiful grounds and art work, including rare tapestries designed by Raphael and magnificent statues. During his few free hours, the Pope visits the Vatican Library, which holds over a half million books. Pius XII rarely gets more than five hours of sleep a night, but his devotion to his job overcomes the physical hardships, as well as the isolation and loneliness that occur, despite his many public audiences. After the war, Pius XII conducts what has been his greatest act to date: the Papal Consistry of Cardinals. Because no new cardinals were appointed during the war, Pius XII now names thirty-two new cardinals, among them Cardinal Spellman of New York. After the elaborate ceremony, Pius XII continues dedication to his work, including his determination to tell a world at peace that it does not take much time to make a better world, only much love.