Pope to open secret Vatican archives on wartime pontiff in response to accusations Pius XII turned a blind eye to the Holocaust

Pope Francis will open up Vatican archives on Second World War-era pontiff

Pius XII has been accused by Jews of staying silent about the Holocaust

The Vatican usually waits 70 years after the end of a pontificate to open archives

By Jessica Green For Mailonline

Published: 13:01, 4 March 2019 | Updated: 13:02, 4 March 2019

Pope Francis has revealed he will be opening up the Vatican archives on Second World War-era pontiff Pius XII after he was accused by Jews of staying silent about the Holocaust.

Francis told employees of the Vatican Secret Archives that documents spanning the 1939 to 1958 pontificate would be open to researchers from March 2 next year.

In his announcement, Pope Francis insisted that 'the Church is not afraid of history', adding that Pius' legacy had been treated with 'some prejudice and exaggeration'

The Vatican usually waits 70 years after the end of a pontificate to open archives but it has been under pressure to make the Pius XII documentation available sooner, while Holocaust survivors are still alive.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6769059/Pope-open-secret-Vatican-archives-wartime-pontiff.html