Pius XII and the Holocaust: do opinions about his role change according the latest findings ?

Abstract

The discussion about the actions, right or wrong, of Pope Pius XII during the Second World War is a debate that remains open. However, the Vatican recently put on the Internet, at the disposal of any investigator, a huge number of documents from the Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs that allow us to know other facets of the requests for help from the Holy See on the part of the Jews and the treatment that is given to them. But, do these documents really modify the opinion that has been taking place of Pope Pius XI to the point of convincing the skeptics of the relevance of his actions? In the present work, a brief tour of the different phases of the problem is made, in which it is seen how the favorable judgment towards the Catholic pontiff changed from the 60s, until reaching the most recent challenges to the figure of Pacelli. An analysis of those uploaded to the internet by the Vatican in 2010 and 2022 is also developed, in order to try to provide an answer to the question that, more than a definitive assessment, will seek to provide the readers with sufficient tools to reach their own conclusion.