Pius XII expert: No serious historian can call him ‘Hitler’s Pope’

March 2 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Eugenio Pacelli, who became Pope Pius XII and whose life and pontificate remain among the most studied and debated of the modern papacy. To mark the occasion, the Register spoke with Emilio Artiglieri, president of the Pope Pacelli Committee – Pius XII Association, which for many years has held cultural events in Rome to encourage historical discussion about Pius XII, and highlight his wide-ranging teachings on theology, morality, society, and bioethics. Artiglieri also discusses: whether the “black legend” that has sought to smear the late pontiff for many years has succeeded; a new film that further tries to blacken his name; how Pius might have dealt with today’s SSPX-Holy See standoff, and why the late pontiff continues to inspire both devotion and scholarly interest.