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Pope Pius XII

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Venerable Pope

Pius XII
Papacy beganMarch 2, 1939
Papacy endedOctober 9, 1958
PredecessorPius XI
SuccessorJohn XIII
Personal details
Birth nameEugenio Maria Guiseppe Giovanni Pacelli
Born(1876-03-02)March 2, 1876
Rome, Italy
DiedOctober 9, 1958(1958-10-09) (aged 82)
Castel Gandolfo, Italy
MottoOpus Justitiae Pax (The work of justice shall be peace)
Other popes named Pius

Pope Pius XII (Latin: Pius PP. XII; Italian: Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (March 2, 1876 – October 9, 1958), was an Italian priest of the Roman Catholic Church and the 261st Pope from 1939 to 1958.[1]

Early life

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Pacelli was born on 2 March 1876 in Rome, Italy. He studied at the Capranica Seminary and the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 1895, he earned a degree in Theology.[2]

Pacelli was ordained as a priest on 2 April 1899. In 1904, he was raised to the rank of Monsignor. He worked at the Office of the Congregation of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs.[2]

In 1917, Pope Benedict XV appointed him an archbishop and nuncio to Bavaria, Germany.[2]

Cardinal

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Pope Pius XI raised Pacelli to the rank of Cardinal in December 1929.[3]

In February 1930, Cardinal Pacelli became the Vatican Secretary of State.[3]

Cardinal Pacelli was elected Pope on 2 March 1939,[2] which was his 63th birthday.

Pius XII wrote forty-one official papal letters (encylicals).

Pius XII named forty-two new cardinals.

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References

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The Coat of arms of Pius XII
  1. "List of Popes," Catholic Encyclopedia (2009); retrieved 2011-11-02.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Pope Pius XII"[permanent dead link], Embryo Project Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine (2010); retrieved 2011-11-02.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Cardinal Pacelli Papal Secretary," New York Times. February 11, 1930; retrieved 2011-11-9.

Other websites

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Media related to Pius XII at Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by
Pius XI
Pope
1939–1958
Succeeded by
John XXIII