Venerable Pope Pius XII | |
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Papacy began | March 2, 1939 |
Papacy ended | October 9, 1958 |
Predecessor | Pius XI |
Successor | John XIII |
Personal details | |
Birth name | Eugenio Maria Guiseppe Giovanni Pacelli |
Born | Rome, Italy | March 2, 1876
Died | October 9, 1958 Castel Gandolfo, Italy | (aged 82)
Motto | Opus 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]
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]
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.