The "Deeds" of Pope Pius XII is the story of the rise and ideological bankruptcy of one of the leading troubadours of anti-communism and anti-Sovietism in the post-war bourgeois world. In fairness, it should be noted that the leaders of the Catholic Church drew certain conclusions from the sad experience of Pius XII's policy after his death. This is evidenced by the course of renewal approved by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and adopted by the late Pope John XXIII and the living Pope Paul VI. The Acts of Pius XII are also instructive in that they reveal the Vatican's links with the leading circles of the leading capitalist countries and shed light on the mechanism of these links, which is carefully hidden by the Catholic Church and its bourgeois partners.

Displaced by the bourgeoisie during its ascendant development from the first roles, deprived of its secular power and traditional privileges, the Pope was listed as a" prisoner " of the Vatican Palace. This seclusion lasted for about 60 years - from 1870 to 1929. In the era of imperialism, the church and the bourgeoisie once again find a common language, enter into an alliance. Their reconciliation takes place on the basis of the inherent desire of both sides to get rid of the powerful enemy that Karl Marx and F. Schulz once had. Engels has been aptly called the " ghost of communism." As the" specter of communism " became more and more real, the anti-clericalism of the bourgeoisie and the desire for revenge against the latter on the part of the papacy melted away.

The triumph of the October Revolution brought these long-standing opponents even closer together. Italian fascism took a decisive step towards reconciliation with the Church. In 1929, after agreeing with Mussolini, the Vatican gained extraterritoriality, becoming the only world religion with its own statehood. The appearance of the Vatican City state on the map, despite its microscopic size, opened up new opportunities for the papacy to participate in world politics. Many bourgeois governments, including those of non-Catholic countries, established diplomatic relations with the Vatican, concluded special agreements (concordats) granting the Church special rights, and began to use missionaries more vigorously in the interests of their colonial domination and exploitation of peoples. The Papal See, through its diplomatic representatives and the local church hierarchy, has become even more actively involved in the political life of many countries.

As the international situation worsens, the Vatican begins to turn into one of the centers of political intrigue, in which the interests of small and great powers intersect and intertwine. As for the events that took place before the Second World War, the voice of the pope, who pretended to be the spiritual head of 400 million Catholics, was listened to both in European capitals and across the ocean. Both fascist leaders and leaders of the so-called democratic world were not averse to using it to their advantage. At one time, it even became fashionable in bourgeois circles to seek friendship with the "holy Father." Thus, in the era of imperialism, the Pope became one of the "pillars" of the bourgeois world order, which was greatly facilitated by the policy of Pope Pius XII, which is discussed in this essay.

The formation of the world socialist system, the collapse of colonialism and the appearance on the map of the liberated states, some of which chose a non-capitalist or socialist path of development, did not pass without a trace for the papacy. In an effort to strengthen relations with the new states, the Vatican reorganized the congrega-

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to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, a faith propaganda organization tainted by its outspoken collaboration with colonialists. In the Cardinal's college today, you can meet not only Europeans and Americans, but also Africans and Asians. The Inquisition has been abolished. The Church abandoned the policy of excommunicating Communists. All this to some extent contributed to the strengthening of the Vatican's international position, which was greatly shaken as a result of the ultra-right course of Pius XII and his predecessors. Currently, the Holy See maintains diplomatic relations with almost 80 countries around the world. This explains why the Vatican's past and present continue to attract international attention.

In general, Lius XII occupies a special place in the modern history of the Catholic Church. It ends a kind of" dynasty " of Piev 1, whose representatives were distinguished by ultra-reactivity and irreconcilability to everything progressive. Pius XII was on the papal throne for about 20 years. He witnessed the defeat of fascism in World War II, the historic victories of the Soviet Army, the formation of the socialist commonwealth, the collapse of the colonial system, the powerful rise of the world revolutionary movement, the first space flights and the scientific and technological revolution. An adherent of medieval theological dogmas, an opponent of the Soviet Union, and a champion of the Cold War, Pius XII led the Catholic Church into a dead end with his short-sighted policies.

1. The Conclave elects a new pope

18 days after the death of Pius XI (February 10, 1939), a conclave met to elect a new pope. It was attended by 57 cardinals, including 50 Europeans, including 35 Italians, six from America and one Lebanese. The death of the Pope and the election of his successor always attract the attention of the world community. However, this time the leading newspapers of the capitalist states responded to them very cautiously. The world was on the verge of World War II. The fascists were eager for territorial gains. Western democracies tried to appease them and direct their aggression to the East - against the Soviet Union. With the connivance of the British and French governments, Hitler occupied Austria and Czechoslovakia, Mussolini occupied Ethiopia and prepared to invade Albania, Franco, with the support of Hitler and Mussolini and with the consent of Chamberlain and Daladier, strangled the republic in Spain, and in the East, militaristic Japan continued the war against the Chinese people.

Is it any wonder that these events overshadowed what was happening in the Vatican? No one showed much grief for the late Pope. Pius XI turned out to be a short-sighted politician, willingly or unwittingly, but rather willingly, who supported fascism. No one expected a sensation from the upcoming conclave. Observers agreed quite amicably that Pius XI's successor would be his Secretary of State, 2 Eugenio Pacelli, who was called "dauphin", "crown prince", and "heir to the throne"during the late pope's lifetime. Pius XI made no secret of the fact that he was preparing him as his heir, and even once expressed the unusual idea for a pontiff that he would agree to resign as pope if he was sure that the conclave would elect Pacelli in his place. Contrary to the Vatican saying that whoever enters the conclave as a "papabile" (candidate for the papacy) leaves it as a cardinal, this time the predictions were fully justified. The Conclave was held according to the rules and traditions established over the centuries. It differed from previous conclaves in that it was one of the shortest in the history of the church: its sessions lasted only 20 hours. Voting started on the morning of March 2. In the first round, the cardinals voted for their friends for the sake of decency. In the second round, almost all the votes were cast for Pacelli, who became the new pope. He identified himself as Pius XII, indicating that he intended to continue the policies of his predecessor.

1 From 1775 to 1958, seven of the 11 popes were named "Pius".

2 State Secretary is the second most important post in the ecclesiastical nomenclature after the Pope, equivalent to the Prime Minister. He is also called "Cardinal padrone"("cardinal host").

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Pacelli's election to the papacy was met with great satisfaction in Nazi circles, as well as in the capitals of Western democracies. All the powers that be considered Pacelli their man, or at least someone they could get along with. Mussolini and his entourage were pleased with Pacelli's election, because they saw in him a representative of a clan close to them. Although the latter served the Vatican, its interests were closely intertwined with those of the Italian bourgeoisie, particularly through the country's largest Banco di Roma, founded by the new pope's uncle. Pacelli himself, while serving as State Secretary, repeatedly proved his desire to contribute to the strengthening of fascist regimes. His enthusiasm for the falangist revolt in Spain and his intransigent attitude towards socialism and communism made Pacelli a very acceptable figure on the papal throne for the Italian ruling clique. Shortly after the conclave, the Italian Foreign Minister, G. Ciano, wrote in his diary: "In Tarvisio I receive a message about Pacelli's election to the papacy. This is not a surprise to me. I recall my conversation with him on February 10. She had a very warm character. It seems that after that he greatly improved relations with Germany, to the point that Pignatti (then Italian ambassador to the Vatican) announced yesterday that Pacelli was a German candidate. The Duce (Mussolini) is pleased with Pacelli's election. Once again, he promises to send him some advice on what he should do to manage the church profitably."3
According to the Jesuit R. A. Graham, one of the publishers of Vatican documents relating to World War II, Hitler was also interested in the conclave. Nazi agents were instructed to monitor its possible twists and turns .4 The Fuhrer was satisfied with the election of Pacelli, who for 12 years served as nuncio to Germany (from April 1917 to December 1929), knew German brilliantly, participated in the conclusion of the concordat with nazi Germany, and spoke out from the positions of strict anti-communism. At the same time, Pacelli enjoyed some influence in the United States and France, where he repeatedly visited as State Secretary. He maintained close ties not only with the church hierarchy, but also with Catholic leaders in these countries. In the United States, where the future pope visited in 1936, he visited President F. Roosevelt, communicated with industrialists, bankers. The doors to these multi-millionaires were opened for him by Cardinal F. Spellman, head of the American Episcopate. In Washington and Paris, it was believed that the pope-elect would try to preserve as much independence as possible in relation to the Axis powers, and that if necessary, he could be used as a link with Italy and Germany. Pacelli had strong ties to the Spanish and Latin American episcopate, which he had cultivated since his trip to the International Eucharistic Congress in Buenos Aires in 1934.

His relationship with the Episcopate of Italy was more complicated. The fact is that Pacelli was never a pastor, never headed a parish or diocese. He was only an official of the Curia, a diplomat in the service of the papacy, an adviser to the Pope. But Pacelli was not only Pius XI's closest collaborator, he was considered his "favorite". Such ecclesiastical courtiers or curial cardinals traditionally aroused hostile feelings on the part of the episcopate, which automatically closed their access to the tiara, as the fate of Cardinals Antonelli, Merry del Val and Gaspari, who held the same post under Popes Pius IX, Pius X and Benedict XV, eloquently tells us. Pacelli, unlike them, managed to overcome this barrier and enlist the support of both his fellow curial cardinals and cardinal deacons-heads of dioceses. However, to be considered a favorite of Pius XI did not mean to enjoy independence or unlimited influence. Pacelli was nothing more than a loyal servant of his overbearing master, Pius XI, a Lombard bureaucrat to the core, who suppressed any hint of independence or initiative from his subordinates. The State Secretary was unable to independently influence the fate of the church. At the same time, the Cardinals knew that he was ready to do them any service within his capabilities, knowing that Tia-

3 "L'Unita", 23.XII.1953.

4 "Paese-Sera", 7.I.1976.

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roo will only be able to get it because of their votes at the conclave. The fact that the Italian cardinals broke with tradition and unanimously voted for the former state secretary was also influenced by the impending Second World War. The new world conflict promised severe trials for the church. To keep the St. Peter's boat from leaking and sinking, a super-experienced helmsman was needed in international affairs. Among the cardinals, Pacelli met these requirements most of all. This was evidenced by both his family connections and his church career.

2. Career as a "vicar of God"

E. Pacelli was a scion of the famous "black" clan in Italy, whose representatives have been in the service of the papal Throne for centuries. Pius XII's grandfather Marcantonio Pacelli, who was patronized by his uncle Cardinal Caterini, became Minister of Finance under Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) and held a number of high positions under Pius IX. He was one of the members of the Tribunal of the Ten, which brought together the leaders of the Roman Republic, and then-Deputy Minister of the Interior in the Papal government. In 1861, Marcantonio founded the current Vatican official "Osservatore Romano". One of his sons, Ernesto, became a prominent banker in the service of the Vatican, the founder of Italy's largest Banco di Roma, and the other, Felippe, became an influential lawyer at the Vatican tribunals. The latter had two offspring-Francesco, who followed his father's example as a Vatican lawyer, and Eugenio, the future Pius XII. Pacelli entered the ecclesiastical career at the end of the 19th century under Leo XH. Some old-timers of the Vatican claim that he was motivated to choose a spiritual career by an unrequited love for a certain Signorita Lucia. It's possible... From the very first steps in the ecclesiastical field, the future pope enjoys special privileges. Unlike other seminarians, he is allowed to live at home. In 1901. Pacelli became an assistant at the State secretariat, where he worked at the court of four popes-Leo X, Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius XI.

In 1913. Pius X appoints Pacelli, 37, as Deputy Secretary of the Congregation for Ecclesiastical Affairs. A year later, he rises one more step up and becomes secretary of the same congregation, which gives him the opportunity to constantly communicate with the pope. On April 20, 1917, Benedict XV sent him as nuncio to Munich and at the same time elevated him to the episcopate. The dedication ceremony is led by the pontiff himself in the Sistine Chapel, where Pacelli will be elected pope 22 years later. In Munich, during the revolutionary events of 1918, workers in search of weapons tried to search Pacelli's residence, which, according to church authors, allegedly made him a fierce enemy of the Communists. In January 1925 Pacelli signed a concordat with one of the German states - Bavaria, and in the same year, after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the Weimar Republic, was appointed nuncio to Berlin. Four years later, he signs the Concordat with Prussia. While serving as nuncio, he took an active part in German Catholic congresses, closely followed the activities of the Catholic center Party, and was closely associated with right-wing political leaders in Germany. In 1929. Pius XI made him a cardinal, and on February 7, 1930, confirmed him as Secretary of State. On April 1, 1935, Pacelli was given another influential post as Chamberlain of the Church, presiding over the conclave. This increases his chances of succeeding the pope.

As Secretary of State, Pacelli has repeatedly traveled abroad. He visits Argentina, the United States, France, Hungary and other countries, where he meets with presidents, leading political figures, church hierarchs-possible participants in the conclave, which contributed to his popularity and made it more likely to get the papal tiara over time. However, Pacelli had a serious drawback for a candidate for the papal throne: he was too young for such a post, he was "only" 63 years old, and this threatened that he could stay too long on the papal throne, thereby depriving his electors of the hope of succeeding him. Still, the cardinals took a risk and voted for him. The bourgeois press extolled the virtues of the new pope, admiring his piety, scholarship, political wisdom, and even his appearance. The newspapermen were not stingy with their compliments.

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address the new pontiff, predicting his peacemaking role in international affairs.

The coronation of the new pope took place with the usual pomp for such ceremonies in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas. Peter. He was carried to this temple on a gilded stretcher-the famous "sedia of the conservatory" - 12 sediarii (bearers), representing the most aristocratic families of Rome. The Pope sat on a stretcher, dressed in the rich robes of a Roman pontiff: a satin cassock, a hooded robe trimmed with sable fur, white stockings and red velvet shoes with a gold cross embroidered on them , 5 topped by a three-tiered gold tiara studded with precious stones. He was accompanied by cardinals and bishops in red and crimson robes, grandees, and diplomats. After the solemn mass, the Cardinal Chamberlain filled a large silver vessel with dried oakum and set it on fire, while a chorus of choristers repeated the sacramental phrase that was supposed to remind the new pontiff of the impermanence of all that exists and lives: "Sic transit gloria mundi" (thus passes the glory of the world)6 . The coronation ceremony was attended by 36 foreign delegations. Among the guests, representatives of European royal houses predominated, although they mostly lost their power, such as the former Spanish monarch Alfonso XIII. It was more like a parade of ghosts than real people, but no papal coronation is complete without them.

Now the festive fanfare has died down, and St. John's Cathedral is empty. Peter. In the Vatican, working days have come, unsettling, full of ominous omens. The world was on the verge of a new world war, which the fascists were feverishly preparing to unleash. Intoxicated by the success of the Munich Agreement and other concessions by the ruling circles of Britain and France, the aggressors dreamed of a blitzkrieg. The Western "appeasers" tried to push them against the Soviet Union, not suspecting that their short-sighted policies were digging a hole for themselves, which they would fall into even before the aggressors ' war machine turned to the East. In that pre-war year, as well as during and after the war, Pacelli was and remained mostly a diplomat. The focus of his attention was on issues of world politics. All his countless speeches, statements, and encyclicals revolved mainly around these issues. Church apologists during the lifetime of Pius XII tried to present him as a "man of God", detached from everyday prose by an anchorite who allegedly devoted himself to solving transcendental problems. But this image is false and does not correspond at all to the actual appearance of Pius XII. If he was a mystic, it was only in the sense that he considered himself an instrument of divine providence, carrying out a certain mission.

What did it consist of? To put it briefly - in the eradication of communist ideology, in the crushing of the Soviet Union as its bearer and supreme exponent. Of course, Pius XII had neither the resources nor the capacity to carry out such an ambitious mission. And he did not expect to do it by church forces. He saw his task as something else: to mobilize the capitalist Powers for an anti-communist crusade. This maniacal idea was responsible for all his activities both in the run-up to and after the Second World War. As a sober politician, Pius XII avoided openly articulating his own creed, preferring to achieve his goals by maneuvering and maneuvering, masking them with grandiose rants about loyalty to universal peace and the principles of justice. But no matter what subterfuges Pius XII used to conceal his true intentions, no matter how cunning he was in international affairs, he left traces everywhere that exposed him as an obscurant and reactionary, an accomplice of imperialism in various guises, an enemy of science and social progress, a hater of democracy, socialism and communism.

5 These items of the papal wardrobe are prepared in advance by Vatican tailors in three different sizes, and with the election of the pope, they are quickly adjusted to his height and complexion. Also, three coffins are prepared in advance - lead, oak and cypress, in which the pope is buried (after all, he may die suddenly, and the dead pontiff is sought to be buried without delay, which requires preliminary preparation).

6 Ch. Piсhon. Le Vatican. P. 1960, p. 168.

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3. The Pope and World War II

One of the first problems that Pius XII faced shortly after his election was the suppression of the revolutionary liberation war in Spain. Pius XII enthusiastically welcomed the victory of the executioner of the Spanish people, Franco. In a speech delivered by the Pope on the radio in Spanish on April 17, 1939, he said: "It is with great joy that we turn to you, dearest sons of Catholic Spain... We grant you, our dear sons of Catholic Spain, the head of state and his illustrious government, the zealous bishops and selfless clergy, and all the faithful, our apostolic blessing. " 7 The "holy father" did not have a single word to reproach the Falangist executioners who carried out mass executions of supporters of the republic, including many Catholics and Basque priests. Moreover, Pius XII awarded Franco one of the highest Vatican orders, and on June 11 of the same year he received 3 thousand phalangists at a solemn audience in the Vatican and enthusiastically praised their services in the fight against "materialistic atheism". These words of Pius XII addressed to Franco were received with satisfaction by Mussolini and Hitler, who also had personal reasons to be satisfied with the behavior of the new pope. In March 1939, Hitler captured the Klaipeda region from Catholic Lithuania. Dad pretended nothing had happened. In April, the Duce took over Albania. These aggressive actions led to the condemnation of all progressive figures of that time. Pius XII did not consider it necessary to express his opinion on this point either. He did not dare to publicly approve the seizure of Albania, and did not want to condemn it. However, the Italian clergy, with his consent, welcomed the occupation of Albania, which was in Mussolini's favor.

The USSR proposed to form a defensive alliance of countries that were threatened by the fascists, in order to collectively repel aggression. The "appeasers" insisted on new concessions to the aggressors. This time, the initiator of the new Munich was Pius XII. In May 1939, the Pope proposed that a meeting of representatives of Great Britain, France, Poland, Germany, and Italy be convened at the Vatican to settle the disputed issues. But the "second Munich" failed. Under the pressure of public opinion, the governments of France and England were forced to negotiate a defensive agreement with the Soviet Union. When the negotiations failed due to London and Paris, Pius XII continued to insist on convening a conference of European powers without the Soviet Union. It was clear that such a conference would open the way for Hitler to attack the USSR. The pope himself did not hide on which side his sympathies are. In July 1939, he lifted the excommunication imposed in 1926 by Pius XI on the French far-right organ L'Action francaise, which had zealously supported the alliance with Hitler and called for war against the USSR. But Pius XII failed to achieve his goal and appear before the whole world as a peacemaker. On September 1, 1939, German troops treacherously attacked Poland. The Second World War has begun.

Poland was a Catholic state. How did Pius XII react to its enslavement by Hitler's hordes? No way. He just didn't say anything. This marked the beginning of his eloquent "silences" of the Second World War period. The Nazis committed monstrous atrocities in occupied Poland. Dad knew about it, but he didn't say anything. Hitler invaded Yugoslavia, established a puppet Croatian state. Croatian Ustashe fascists, who boasted of their Catholic fanaticism, slaughtered, hanged, and shot anti-fascists, and the Croat church hierarchy, headed by Cardinal Stepinac, took a very direct part in this. Pius XII knew all this, but was silent. Hitler created a puppet Slovak state led by the Catholic prelate Tiso. The Slovak fascists were as brutal as the Croat Ustashe. Pius XII knew this, but was silent. Occupied Europe was covered with concentration camps - these giant death factories in which more than 10 million innocent people died, including the elderly, women, and children. Among them were many Catholics, as well as anti-Fascist priests. They were starved

7 A. Manhattan. Vatican City, Moscow, 1948, p. 98.

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they were starved, tortured by back-breaking labor, tortured, hounded with dogs, hanged, shot. Pius HP knew this, but he didn't say anything.

When, after the capitulation of the government of P. Badoglio, the Nazis seized power in a large part of Italy, they shot hostages, and also carried out mass repressive actions for the slightest attempt at resistance. All these iniquities were also committed in Rome, literally under the windows of the apostolic palace. Pius XII, who knew and saw all this, was silent. In the post-war years, especially after the death of Pius XII and the end of the Second Vatican Council, many Catholic and even religious figures accused Pacelli of being nothing more than a form of support for the Axis countries and solidarity with the crimes of the fascists during World War II. Apologists for Pius XII tried to justify him. They argued that Pius XII did not know the true extent of the crimes committed by Hitler and Mussolini. But no one was convinced by this ridiculous argument. After all, Pius XII was informed in detail about the bloody atrocities of the fascists not only by England and the United States through their representatives in the Vatican, but also by the Polish, French and other countries of the church hierarchy. The question arises: if Pius XII knew all this, then why didn't he say anything? When the argument about Pius XII's alleged ignorance disappeared, his supporters began to argue that the pope was silent because he was afraid of reprisals from the Nazis, who could not only seize the Vatican, but also throw him, cardinals, bishops into a concentration camp, almost liquidate the entire church organization. Could this have happened? Apparently, yes, but only if Pius XII had anathematized fascism and called on the faithful to fight it in arms. The Pope had other opportunities to express his condemnation of the crimes of Hitler and his associates. He could have used diplomatic channels, confidential conversations, petitioned for pardons of hostages sentenced to death, etc.But he did nothing of the sort. In December 1939, he rejected Cardinal E. Tisserand's proposal to issue an encyclical calling on the faithful to act according to the dictates of their conscience. In other words, if their conscience dictated them to fight the German invaders, they could do so, being sure that they were not violating the church's commandments. Tisserand, reporting this to the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Suard, wrote:: "I am afraid that history will not forgive the Holy See for pursuing a wartime policy only in its own interests." 8
Moreover, Pius XII received Nazi soldiers in the Vatican and blessed them, gave audiences to Ustashas and other Fascist murderers. And the church hierarchy of Italy and Germany, which was subordinate to Pius XII, supported fascism. "In Italy," writes an American researcher, " the high clergy's support for the war and their zeal for it surpassed even their zeal during the Abyssinian campaign. The Church was in league with fascism and encouraged Italians to support a new adventure. " 9 In Germany, the church hierarchy blessed Hitler; in France, it openly supported the traitorous Peten; in Yugoslavia, the Ustashe; in Slovakia, Tiso; and in Hungary, Horthy... But let us accept the claims of papal apologists and assume that Pius XII cowered before Hitler and Mussolini, and therefore the church hierarchs crawled on their knees before the Nazis for "selfish" reasons. Why didn't the pope and his hierarchs condemn Nazism after the Allies won? Not only did they do nothing of the sort, but they made every effort to save the Fascist executioners from deserved retribution. Thousands of war criminals escaped responsibility thanks to the Vatican's patronage, which provided them with false documents and sent them to Spain, Portugal and Latin American countries.

Supporters of Pius XII do not deny these facts, but in defense of the pope, they claim that he acted out of humanity, so that during the war a number of anti-fascists took refuge in Italian monasteries. This argument needs to be clarified: first, the Vatican began harboring anti-fascists only in 1943, when the question of Italy's withdrawal from the war and the defeat of Hitler was no longer in doubt. By granting asylum to a small number of anti-fascists, the Vatican has tried to do so

8 p. Falconi. I Papi del ventesimo secolo. Milano. 1967, pp. 281 - 282.

9 A. Manhattan. Op. ed., p. 121.

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to rehabilitate himself for his previous ties to Hitler and Mussolini, and to apply for his participation in the post-war reconstruction. So what explains this line of behavior of Pius XII in relation to fascism? Was Pacelli a fascist? No. It is possible that both Hitler and Mussolini were personally disliked by him: neither of them were devout Catholics, but even sought to deprive the church of its independence and severely dealt with its ministers if they adhered to democratic views. The main thing is different: the fascists fought communism, for Pius XII - the main enemy of the church. Thus, they performed a "God-pleasing task"!

Pius XII chose to be with fascism, against communism. This is confirmed by Pius XII's personal secretary, the German Jesuit Laiber, who wrote:: "Despite sharp clashes with national Socialism,.. Pacelli never forgot for a single moment the fatal danger of communism. There is much evidence for this. Beginning in June 1944, after the occupation of Rome by the Allies, whose top military and leadership figures visited the Pope in large numbers, he never failed to warn them: of course, Hitler and National Socialism are what they are. But that will soon pass. We must not lose sight of the fact that a more serious and dangerous task lies ahead, namely, a clash with communism. " 10 During the war, Pius XII developed a very vigorous diplomatic activity. He kept in constant contact with Roosevelt through the president's personal representative to the Vatican, the well-known Catholic multimillionaire M. Taylor, who then served as a US diplomatic agent to the pope. Taylor was personally acquainted with Pacelli, who stayed with him when he was in the United States in 1936. The Pope readily agreed to the unofficial establishment of diplomatic relations with the United States: this, in his opinion, opened up the possibility of influencing the American president.

After the attack of Hitler's Germany on the Soviet Union and the formation of the anti-fascist coalition, Roosevelt, through Taylor, tried to convince Pius XII of the feasibility of such a coalition, especially since many church hierarchs in the United States opposed the union of the United States with the USSR. However, in the correspondence published by Taylor after the war between Pius XII and the president, there is no hint that the pope approved of the formation of an anti-fascist coalition. 11 To build a wall between the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union, to reconcile the British and Americans with Hitler and Mussolini, or at worst to achieve a "Christian" peace, at least for Nazi Germany, which would preserve its potential and allow it to block the road of Bolshevism to Western Europe in the future-these were the goals pursued during the war. World War II Pius XII. He strongly opposed the unconditional surrender of the"third Reich". Pius XII was as obsessed with anti-communism as Hitler. This and only this explains his eloquent pro-Hitler "silence" during the war and his foreign policy actions of that time. This also explains his post-war actions.

In the first years of the Great Patriotic War, when the fascist hordes were destroying Soviet people and plundering them, Pius XII repeatedly spoke out against revolution, socialism, communism, and materialism in his public speeches. By all this, he meant the USSR, the Soviet people, the cause for which they fought. In an effort to justify Pius XII's conduct during the war, his lawyers argue that he refused to declare a crusade against the Soviet Union. That's right, Dad didn't do it. But why? Firstly, Hitler did not ask him to do this, and secondly, if Pacelli had taken such a step, he would have immediately turned the Catholics of the United States and Latin America, who make up half of all followers of the Catholic Church, against him, not to mention the fact that millions of Catholics in Western Europe would have turned their backs on the Vatican if Papa had taken such a reckless step. Pius XII did not openly join Hitler's campaign against the Soviet Union, not because he did not want the USSR to be defeated, but out of caution. He intended to wait and see how the war unfolded. When to use it-

10 K. Leiber. Der Vatikan und der Dritte Reich. "Politische Studien" (Munchen), Mai - Juni 1963, S. 208.

11 "Wartime Correspondence between Pope Piues XII and President Roosevelt". N. Y. 1947.

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The Nazi plans for a blitzkrieg in the East were not justified, and Pius XII began to strengthen relations with the American ruling circles with the same goal-to help weaken the USSR's position. In order to gain the confidence of the Americans, Pacelli, as reported by the Italian journalist C. Rosella, even went so far as to pass on confidential information about Japan, the strengthening of which was not in the interests of the church, because it could put an end to Catholic penetration in East and Southeast Asia .12
4. In the thrall of anti-communism

In what direction did the Vatican's policy in world affairs develop after the victory of the anti-fascist coalition? Pius XII tried to undermine its unity, to push the Western partners of the coalition against the Soviet Union. This was in line with the interests of the most reactionary forces in the capitalist world. As for the internal life of the bourgeois countries that were liberated from Hitler's occupation, Pius XII made every effort to disrupt the anti-fascist national unity that had developed during the war, and to exclude from it the Communists who had played a leading role in the struggle against Hitlerism. In particular, the pope sought to divide Catholics and communists, who were united in a number of countries against fascism. In the countries of popular democracy, Pius XII pushed Catholics to fight against social transformation. In those years, in many European countries, as a result of the bankruptcy of traditional bourgeois parties that compromised themselves by making concessions or cooperating with Nazism, Demochristian groups emerged, led by Catholic leaders who took part in the anti-Fascist struggle. These parties received the support of big capital, which saw them as a "lesser evil" compared to the left forces. For the same reasons, they were supported by the American ruling circles. The emergence of influential Demochristian parties in the post-war political arena, which drew ideological inspiration from Catholic doctrines, of which the Vatican was the supreme guardian and interpreter, unexpectedly gave the Pope a new political weight in international affairs. It turned into a factor that had a significant impact on the course of political events, which both the ruling circles of Western Europe and the United States, who were interested in strengthening their influence in Europe, had to reckon with.

When these forces embarked on the path of the cold war, the Vatican did everything possible to first exclude communists from national unity governments, and then consolidate the right-wing forces, providing them with the most energetic political and financial support through the church hierarchy. With the end of the war, Pius XII "began to advocate the creation of powerful anti-communist blocs," 13 wrote the American journalist Cianfarra, who was accredited to the Vatican during the war years. Now Pius XII did not hesitate to openly call for a crusade against communism. Speaking on September 7, 1947, in St. Peter's Square. Peter in Rome before the "Catholic Action" activists, he stated: "Every minute is precious. The time for reflection and projects has passed. The time has come to act. Are you ready? The two hostile camps in the religious and moral fields are becoming increasingly clear. The hour of trials has struck " 14 . In the same year, in his Christmas message, Pius XII formulated his position in international affairs: he spoke out against the division of the world into fascists and anti-fascists, contrasting this division with his formula: "For or against Christ." "For" means all capitalist countries, "against" means the USSR and its allies. This formula corresponded to the slogan put forward by the Italian demo-Christians in the 1948 elections: "Rome or Moscow". In his epistle, Pius XII declared "anyone who provides material support, services and abilities, assistance and voice to parties or authorities that do not recognize God, to be a deserter and traitor." 15 It was obvious to everyone who Pius XII was referring to.

12 "Panorama", 1976, N 3.

13 C. M. Cianfarra. The Vatican and the Kremlin. N. Y. 1950, p. 47.

14 Ibid.

15 C. Falconi. Op. cit., p. 286.

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When the possibility of a left-wing victory emerged in the Rome municipal elections, Pius XII pressured the then leader of the Demochristian party, A. De Gasperi ,to join the neo-fascists in the election. 16 De Gasperi, who took part in the Resistance movement, refused to obey, despite his anti-communist stance, which angered Pius XII. Having lost the support of the Vatican, De Gasperi was forced to resign as prime Minister and leader of the Demochristian party. [17 ] During the Cold War, the Vatican became home to the US intelligence services. Officials of the State Secretariat, on the instructions of Pius XII, stuffed the American James bonds with the most unbridled anti-communist and anti-Soviet linden. Journalist C. Rosella writes that since the spring of 1947, the right-wing political circles of the United States and Italy, together with the Vatican, began to escalate tensions, claiming that the Communists, together with the socialists, were "preparing a violent coup" that would be supported by an invasion from outside. "The Office of the Vice Director of Strategic Services," read, for example, one of the coded dispatches sent by the US Embassy in Rome to Washington in those days, " today handed over to the Department of Defense a report that essentially confirms the likelihood of an invasion of Italy through Yugoslavia. Set time of invasion: February-Spring of 1948. Information received from the Italian secret services and the Vatican. " 18 Although the Americans questioned the authenticity of this report, the Vatican and Italian intelligence maintained that the information about the mythical invasion was reliable.

While organizing a broad anti-communist campaign, the Vatican also secretly financed right-wing political parties that opposed the anti-fascist national front that had emerged during the Resistance movement. Part of the Vatican's strategy to win votes on the eve of the Italian parliamentary elections on April 18, 1948, was to intimidate progressive figures in the Catholic Church. Pius XII distrusted the church's partisan ministers, calling them " friends of the Communists." But some priests openly declared their support for the anti-fascist national front and, ignoring the Vatican's direct instructions, refused to anathematize Marxists. The American Embassy became alarmed and sent its representative, Parsons, to the Vatican for clarification. According to a telegram from Parsons to the US Secretary of State, the Vatican promised to severely punish priests who collaborated with communists, "because supporting an atheist party is a political act contrary to the teachings of the church."19
The creation of the so - called "citizens ' committees" is one of the most extensive anti-communist actions carried out by the CIA together with the Vatican during the election campaign of April 18, 1948. The "Civic Committees" organized on February 8, 1948 by the President of Catholic Action in Italy, L. Jedda, became the shock force of the reactionaries. The activities of Jeddah and his organization were reported in a report compiled by the CIA at the end of April 1948 at the request of the American embassy: "This dynamic organization was created a little more than two months ago. It unites 300 regional sections and over 18 thousand local branches throughout the country. The range of activities - from distributing leaflets to organizing propaganda events on a national scale. Undoubtedly, the "civic committees" played a decisive role in the recent parliamentary elections, largely ensuring the victory of the HDP (Christian Democratic Party-I. G.). It was decided to continue their activities after the elections as a permanent weapon of anti-communist propaganda. There is reason to believe that similar "committees" will soon be established in other countries, in particular in the Netherlands, France, Austria, and Belgium. Information about the organization's structure, activities, objectives, and financial capabilities was obtained directly from Luigi Jedda, National President of the Civic Committees, and Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, spiritual director of the organization." Further in the report

16 A. Tondi. Vaticano e neofascismo. Roma. 1952, pp. 55 - 60.

17 C. F alсоni. Op. cit., pp. 294 - 295.

18 "Panorama", 1976, N 3.

19 Ibid.

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It was noted that the appearance of" civic committees " was due to the Vatican's fear of the threat of victory of the left forces. With the help of this organization, Pius XII intended to ensure maximum voter participation in the vote (the Vatican believed that the more people voted, the fewer votes would be given to left - wing parties) and to persuade certain circles of Italian society (clerics, monarchists, large entrepreneurs) to create a united front against the number one enemy-communism.

The Pope personally recommended Jedda for the post of leader of the "civic committees". It should be noted that the latter tried in every possible way to emphasize their independence from the Vatican, although they secretly constantly consulted with the highest clergy. Here are some examples of their activities. The "civic Committees", in agreement with the government, organized a noisy advertisement for the Marshall Plan. During the two months of the election campaign, they paid for the speeches of over 2,800 speakers and the services of rally specialists. On election day, members of the" committees " were honored to deliver the elderly, the sick, and residents of the most remote areas to the ballot boxes. A well-developed network of voluntary informants informed the "civic committees" in advance about the content of the national front's leaflets, which allowed them to publish response pamphlets literally at the same time as their political opponents. The "Civic Committees" claimed that they had achieved these results without spending a single lira; that the Vatican's assistance was limited to providing rooms and furniture. However, according to Walsh, Ireland's Ambassador to Rome, " The Vatican provided them with substantial amounts of cash. In addition, millions of lire were received from industrialists and nobles. " 20
At the beginning of 1949, the Director of the CIA instructed his representative in Italy, J. R. R. Tolkien. Angleton would establish contact with Jeddah, who, as the American Embassy in Rome reported to Washington on September 16, 1948, "will once again lead a psychological and ideological war. This time against communism in the labor movement"21 . On October 11, 1948, the U.S. Ambassador to Rome, J. K. Dunn, told the State Department: "Angleton is convinced that Jeddah can be effectively used to strengthen our influence in the political, trade union, and public life of Italy." At the same time, the CIA agent in Italy, E. Page, wrote to the then head of the Planning Department of the US State Department, J. F. Kennan: "Dear George, I am sending you two memoranda handed to me by Luigi Jedda. We are talking about new tasks for the "civic committees". As you know, Jedda, in our opinion, more than anyone else, contributed to the victory of the HDP in the April elections. Jeddah is very energetic, practical and far-sighted, and enjoys the full support of the Vatican. We consider him one of the most influential characters on the Italian political scene. It can be extremely useful in the fight against communism... Jedda believes that 18 thousand "civil committees" will be able to inspire Italians with the idea of the need for Italy to join NATO. You know that broad sections of the population, including many demochristians, oppose Italy's entry into the Alliance. They demand an independent foreign policy, which complicates the position of De Gasperi, who advocates joining NATO. We think Jedda can do us an invaluable service here. Do you think it is possible to provide Jedda with financial assistance? I would like to give him 350 million lire (about 500 thousand dollars). I understand that this is too much, but now Jedda and his "civic committees" are the most influential anti - communist force in Italy. If we don't get the money from the State Department, maybe we can get it from the CIA. Dad approved of Jedda's plans. We see Jeddah's actions as part of a broader strategy to protect Western Europe. It is in Italy that the influence of the Catholic Church and the economic power of the United States will become an insurmountable barrier to the further advancement of communism. " 22
Washington has agreed to conduct Operation Jeddah. This is confirmed by a telegram from the American Embassy dated December 5, 1949: "Jedda arrives

20 Ibid.

21 Ibid.

22 Ibid,

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to Washington on December 7. Insists on an immediate meeting. Dann". On the eve of 1950 (declared a "holy" year by the head of the Catholic Church), the US State Department handed over $ 500,000 to the Vatican .23 Formally, the money was intended to pay for the travel and accommodation of 50 thousand pilgrims traveling to Rome from various countries. The operation was supervised by an organization called Felix Roma. Its president was still the same Jedda. The registered capital is 10 million liras. These facts and documents made public by journalist Rosella have not been denied by the Vatican or US officials.

The transfer of $ 500,000 by the US State Department to the Vatican for anti-communist propaganda was directly related to a decree issued on July 13, 1949 by the Vatican Congregation for the Holy Office (Inquisition), headed by Pius XII, according to which believers who accept and propagate Communist teachings, join, support and cooperate with the Communist Party, read or distribute it seal, subject to automatic excommunication from the church. This decree was similar in content to the anti-communist legislation of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Salazar and other fascist dictators and served as a declaration of war by the Church on communism and communists. Pius XII was openly hostile to communism until his death. He excommunicated priests who dared to take part in the world peace movement and demanded the prohibition of atomic weapons. He imposed severe disciplinary sanctions on a movement of priests that had sprung up in France that denounced capitalist exploitation and spoke positively of the Communist struggle for workers ' rights .24 Pius XII welcomed the North Atlantic Pact, the US military presence in Western Europe. The Pope did everything possible to encourage churchmen in the countries of popular democracy to resist the policy of social transformation. He needed priests and believers - "martyrs", "victims of communist terror" - to mobilize Western public opinion against the socialist countries.

Obsessed with the idea of converting the Soviet people to Catholicism at all costs, Pius KP published an apostolic letter to the peoples of Russia in 1952, in which he called on them to renounce communism and convert to the Catholic faith. This message, like many of his other speeches, really sounded like "the voice of one crying in the wilderness," with the only difference that it was not the voice of a righteous man, but of a political schemer who spoke under the guise of a religious fanatic. Pius XII used the false propaganda term "church of silence", which it allegedly became in the countries that threw off the yoke of capitalism. 25 Encouraged by him, the church hierarchs, led by Cardinal Mindsenti, took an active part in the counter-revolutionary uprising in Hungary in 1956, and when the rebellion was suppressed, on his advice, Mindsenti settled in the US Embassy in Budapest, where he then ostentatiously lived for more than 10 years. Pius XII was indignant when the Polish church hierarchy expressed its willingness to cooperate with the Polish people's authorities.

In his many speeches and encyclicals, Pacelli called on working people to bear their hardships patiently. Poor and rich have always been, are, and will always be; this corresponds to human nature, created by God, Pius XII taught the workers. In an effort to distance them from the idea of class struggle, he proclaimed May 1 as a church holiday in 1955, and appointed St. John the Baptist as the patron saint of the working people. Joseph the carpenter. He supported various types of Christian workers ' organizations that operated under the control of the church and held anti-communist positions. Pius XII reacted to the collapse of colonial empires, the formation of new independent states in Asia and Africa, and the rise of the national liberation movement in Latin America in this way: he added three very peculiar representatives of the "third world" to the College of cardinals : Chen, a Chinese who settled in Taiwan; Valerian Gracias, an Indian; and Godea, a Portuguese "prelate".-

23 Ibid.

24 Ch. Pichon. Op. cit., p. 261.

25 A. Tоndi. La Chiesa del Silenzio. Roma. 1954, pp. 7 - 9.

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those who put " Mozambique. In 1955, the Pope established the Episcopal Council of Latin America, a coordinating and directing body that operated under the strict control of the Vatican. Speaking in 1956 at the Second World Congress of Lay Catholics in Rome, Pius XII called on the faithful and churchmen of Latin America to fight against the four "deadly dangers" that supposedly threatened them: Marxism, Protestantism, spiritualism and secularism. The Pope advised Latin American Catholics to strengthen schismatic activities in trade unions and create their own "workers ' elite" in order to "wrest workers' organizations from the influence of Marxism. " 26
In many of the liberated African States, the missionary church hierarchy was transformed into a national one, as a result of which a number of Africans were elevated to the episcopal dignity for the first time. In 1951, the Pope dedicated a special encyclical, Evangelii Praecones, to the need to "indigenous" the Catholic Church in Asia and Africa .27 In April 1957. Pius XII published the encyclical "Fidei Donum", in which he expressed his view on the national liberation process in Africa. "We are calling your attention to Africa," he said, "at the moment when it is entering the path of modern civilization and experiencing perhaps the most tragic days of its existence." 28 For Pius XII, the period when Africa shed the chains of colonial slavery was the most tragic in its history. Apparently, from his point of view, the happiest period in the history of Africa should be considered the one when colonialists oppressed African peoples with impunity. In modern times, Pius XII complained, missionaries in Africa have to operate in very "difficult" conditions; the difficulty, he said, is that the leadership of the movement is not always in the right hands.

In this and other papal encyclicals, there is not a word of condemnation of the imperialists. All the pathos, the denunciatory passion of the Roman pontiff is directed against the most persistent fighters against imperialism - the Communists. On September 27, 1957, in a public speech, Pius XII directly condemned the national liberation struggle of the peoples of Africa. The Pope reiterated that it is not imperialism that threatens the peoples of Africa, but "atheistic materialism." "The social, economic and political evolution that is rapidly invading the lives of many African peoples," he said, "inevitably exposes them to unhealthy influences that can have serious consequences for the future." 29 Thus, contrary to the well-known facts, the Pope declared that the enemy of African peoples was not colonial oppression, but "atheistic materialism." It is characteristic that Pius XII used this term in the hope that it would make a greater impression on religious Africans than the word "communism".

5. "Atlantic" dad

Pius XII was called the "Atlantic" pope by his contemporaries for his commitment to anti-communism and support for the course of the "cold War", which was then the official doctrine of the US ruling circles. This did not mean that he was a puppet of Washington. His attitude toward the United States was complicated. On the one hand, he welcomed the anti - communist orientation of the US ruling circles, on the other hand, he was afraid of American Protestantism, which, thanks to the huge financial resources at its disposal, threatened to establish itself not only in such a traditionally Catholic zone as Latin America, but also in Western Europe. Although Pius XII was not averse to enlisting the financial support of the American Catholic hierarchy, he considered the churchmen of the United States to be modernists in potency, ready to sacrifice his dear principles and make concessions to Protestants in the name of success. Even though the number of American prelates in the curia increased under his rule, Pius XII still kept them out of key positions of the church apparatus that were under the control of the Italians. Only shortly before his death, and then under duress

26 "La Civilta Cattolica", 19.XI.1957, pp. 191 - 192.

27 "Les Informations Catholiques Internationales", 1.IV.1957, p. 4.

28 Ibid., 15.V. 1957, p. 26.

29 "L'Osservatore Rorrano", 8. X. 1957.

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Spellman, he appointed the Archbishop of Chicago as the head of the Congregation for the Promotion of the Faith in charge of missionaries.

Pius XII ruled the church like an autocrat. T. Breza, who worked in the Polish embassy in Rome in the post-war years and observed Vatican affairs, writes that " Pius XII treated the Soviets as barbs and tactlessness, as an involuntary insult. His face darkens, becomes unreadable. He feels cold. Dad never shouts, but you can see that every word annoys him. " 30 Pius XII kept foreign affairs under his unflagging control. After the death of Cardinal Maglioni, Secretary of State, in 1944, Pius XII left the post vacant; he was in fact his own Secretary of State. His assistants and closest collaborators were Monsignors D. Tardini and D. B. Montini, who held the posts of Deputy State Secretaries: the first - ordinary affairs (internal church), and the second - extraordinary (political). Both of them were only executors of the will of their boss, and Tardini was known as an ultraconservative. Another figure was Montini. Competing with Tardini for the succession to the throne, Montini (perhaps unwittingly) became the head of the "progressive" party in the Vatican, which was joined by prelates who were bypassed or offended by Pius XII. In an attempt to block Montini's path to the papacy, his opponents persuaded Pius XII to get rid of his assistant. In 1954, Montini was appointed Archbishop of Milan, and although this post almost automatically led to the elevation to the cardinal rank, Montini never received the cardinal's cap. Tardini remained with the pope, and the relatively young prelate Della Aqua was appointed to replace Montini.

Pius XII held all the power in his hands until the last minute: the helm, the reins, and all the threads. The people who worked with him were exhausted under the burden of so many cases. He alone was indefatigable. When Monsignors Tardini or Della Aqua came to see him, they were followed by carts loaded with case files. Pius XII wanted to know everything. I wanted to decide everything myself 31 . The lion's share of his time was spent writing countless encyclicals and allocutions (oral speeches on a variety of topics: political, scientific, theological, moral, and others. In his teachings, he was not an original thinker, but rather an antediluvian mastodon, a relic of the Middle Ages. He passed every thought through the filter of his ultra-reactionary worldview, adapting everything to the traditional, long-obsolete church dogmas. It worked according to the following method. For example, he was to receive astronomers, or midwives, or numismatists, or beekeepers, or tennis players. He would order his secretaries to pick out the right literature on the right subject, and then, having picked up the right facts, he would compose another opus, filling it with appropriate quotations from the writings of the Church fathers and the Bible. All this cooking, which was rather popular and superficial in its content, he personally tapped out on a typewriter or dictated to his sister Pasqualina, his housekeeper and secretary. Then he memorized it, and then he was ready for his duties. During his pontificate, he wrote and spoke over 20 bulky volumes. Cardinal Spellman called him a "record-breaking pope" for the number of speeches and encyclicals. It would be more accurate to call him the pope-countess or oratoromaniac.

6. Nepotist

Under Pius X, the Pontifical Department of Saints and Beatitudes, a congregation of rites founded by Sixtus V in 1588 to restore order in such a complicated matter, was particularly active. Over the centuries of the church's existence, more than 20 thousand saints and over 200 thousand blessed were proclaimed. The establishment of the Congregation for the Rites came in response to Protestant criticism that the papacy was beatifying all sorts of mythical characters or unworthy people. Since the 16th century. The Vatican was wary of making popes holy. The title was too much out of keeping with their usually sinful lifestyle. With this tradi-

30 T. Breza. Bronzevye vrata [Bronze Gate], Moscow, 1964, p. 87.

31 Ibid., pp. 413-414.

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Pius XII did not count as a nation. He consecrated the reactionary Pius X, proclaimed Innocent I blessed, and then began transferring Popes Innocent I, Gregory X, and others from blessed to holy. Some of the prelates around him claimed that he had conceived the idea of forcing the cardinals to proclaim him a saint during his lifetime .32
The "righteous" Pius XII patronized all kinds of financial fraudsters and shady personalities. During his pontificate, the Vatican was literally rocked by scandals. One of the pope's confidants, the Prelate of Chippico, led a double life: he was an employee of the Vatican's financial department and at the same time speculated on the stock exchange. Caught embezzling a large sum of Vatican money, the prelate was put on trial. Another ecclesiastical financier, a certain Giufre, also went on trial for speculation and other scams. The head of the Vatican's civil administration, engineer P. E. Galeazzi, was convicted of having relations with girls of easy virtue. At the same time, "nepotism" and careerism flourished in the curia under Pius XII. Tardini "lamented" about this: "Another heavy cross for Pius XII was the appointments that he had to make. And the higher the position to which people were appointed, the more delicate it was due to the huge number of people who wanted to get it. It is known that in such cases there is never a shortage of applicants, not to mention those who are passionately eager to receive such appointments, those who identify their personal value with the vastness of their desires, think highly of their abilities (often completely absent) and make unreasonable claims. It sometimes happens that such unfounded aspirations are supported and favored even by the silken folds of purple cloaks. " 33
The owners of the "purple cloaks" - cardinals - set an example in this regard by Pius XII himself, all of whose nephews were provided with lucrative positions in the Vatican's administrative apparatus. The Pope was a nepotistic of the old, medieval style, although it was rumored that he really loved no one but himself. But his egocentrism did not prevent him from protecting his relatives.

7. The Shadow of Sister Pasqualina

Pius XII suffered from a lack of humor, which for an Italian is simply incomprehensible. No one had ever seen him smile, much less laugh. He was gaunt, extremely reserved at the table, did not drink alcoholic beverages and did not smoke. He had no vices of any kind, except for his sympathy for the housekeeper, the German nun Pasqualina Lehnert. He met her in early 1917 in one of the Swiss sanatoriums, where she worked as a nurse and where the future pope was undergoing treatment after a car accident. Pasqualina, who was 18 years younger than Pacelli, so pleased him that, with Benedict XV's permission, he took her as his housekeeper to the nunciature in Munich. After his appointment as Secretary of State, Pius XI, in turn, allowed him to put Pasqualina in an apartment on the first floor of the apostolic palace. She even accompanied Pacelli to the conclave, thus becoming the first woman to attend the forum. When he was elected pope, she took up residence with him in his new apartments on the third floor of the same apostolic palace.

Short, well-built, plump, with regular features, a funny nose, and a stubborn, shrewd, distrustful look (as journalists who knew her described it), Pasqualina lived near Pius XII until his death. She, writes Breza, "kept an eye on Dad's kitchen and wardrobe. She took special care of her wardrobe. The time has passed for the tobacco-smeared cassocks of Pope Sarto Pius X and the ill-fitting clothes of Pope Ratti Pius XI, who could not stand fitting rooms. Yes, yes, this was a time of finesse and public audience clashes with the faithful, who were too imprudent in their outpouring of emotion, which often left spots on the white cassock from saliva, sweat, or even worse-from lipstick, if the lips that kissed the papal robes were made up. My sister hated it all

32 C. Falconi. Op. cit., p. 309.

33 P. Lombardi. Concilia Roma. 1961, p. 211

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Pasqualina. We talked a lot about her intrigues... Canaries and other birds, of which there were many in the papal apartments, were certainly the result of her initiative and preferences. The birds mostly had German names. " 34
When the Pope returned from his audience, Pasqualina used alcohol to disinfect his hands, which had been licked by overzealous pilgrims. When Dad got sick, he only took medicine from her. She woke him up in the morning and accompanied him to bed in the evening. But Pasqualina was not only the perfect housekeeper, but also the private secretary of Pius XII, who dictated her innermost thoughts. This lady's influence on Papa was incomparable. Her father obeyed her recommendations without question. Experts in Vatican "cuisine" claim that many prelates made their careers thanks to its patronage. The Curia feared her and groveled before her. Her nickname is "The Mighty Maiden". Angry curia officials called her "the only man in the Vatican."

Pius XII's personal physician, R. Galeazzi-Lisi, uncle of the engineer Galeazzi, the civil governor of the Vatican, also enjoyed unlimited confidence. Both of these figures were closely associated with Cardinal Spellman. In the 1930s, Galeazzi-Lisi was a little-known optometrist whose services Cardinal Pacelli, who suffered from nearsightedness, turned to on the advice of his uncle. During the conclave when he was elected pope, Pacelli, leaving the Sistine Chapel, slipped and, falling, injured his hand. He invited Galeazzi-Lisi for treatment. He soon became the pope's personal physician. The doctor fed the pope various" anti-aging " hormonal drugs, in the effectiveness of which Pius XII blindly believed. The Pope appointed his Aesculapius a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, elevated him to the dignity of count, showered him with orders and other favours. The clever physician, meanwhile, used his position at the papal throne to increase his fortune. He gambled on the stock market, speculated, and secretly kept a diary about the illnesses of a high-ranking patient.

8. Dads die like all mortals

In December 1952, the pope began to suffer from a rather rare ailment known as"gatekeeper's spasm". It consists in the fact that the muscle between the stomach and intestines contracts spasmodically, not allowing food to enter the intestines. The patient is systematically malnourished, losing weight, wasting away. As the disease progresses, the spasms recur more often, becoming more painful and prolonged. In the end, the patient dies in terrible agony from exhaustion. Dad was advised by the best specialists. But the disease steadily worsened. In 1954, my father started having spasmodic hiccups. He had lost an extraordinary amount of weight. The Vatican expected the worst. However, at the beginning of December, the pope suddenly felt relieved. Some time later, the Italian magazine "Oggi", according to officials of the State Secretariat, published a sensational message: allegedly, Jesus Christ descended to Pius XII from December 7 to 8 in the morning, who allegedly instilled in the pope the strength to overcome the disease. 35 Later, journalists began to claim that Pacelli was visited by the spirit of Pius X at the conclave, who said to him: "Take heart, my son", and Cardinal F. Tedeschini publicly stated that in 1950 the Pope was visited four times by the Virgin Mary, who promised to destroy Bolshevism. During these phenomena, the sun "rotated". Such absurdities were described by the pope's confidants in newspapers and magazines without any embarrassment, and he himself remained silent, as if confirming all these "miracles". Indeed, Pacelli was very eloquent in his silence.

The Catholic Church in our time strictly refers to all kinds of" miracles", which are so rich in its medieval history. Any miraculous phenomenon is subject to a thorough" check "by church experts, and only in exceptional cases does the church confirm the presence of a"miracle". But with the miracles of Pius XII, it didn't even come to verification. The churchmen themselves were embarrassed by the fact that their head claimed things that no self-respecting literate person of the XX century could believe in the plausibility.

34 T. Breza. Op. ed., p. 453.

35 L. Zeppegno, F. Bellegrandi. Guida di misteri e piaceri del Vaticano. Milano. 1974, p. 131.

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However, despite "communion" with Christ and the Virgin Mary, Pius XII's health continued to decline. In 1958, as always, Pacelli spent the summer at his country residence in Castel Gandolfo. Here he gave audiences and greeted tourists from the balcony of the palace. On October 2, he gave a half-hour speech in Latin to American seminarians who came to him, led by Cardinal Spellman. Two days later, he greeted the participants of the Congress on plastic surgery. On Sunday, October 6, the Pope delivered a speech to the International Congress of Notaries. After speaking to them for forty minutes in French, the Pope suddenly felt unwell, which was noticed by the prelates who accompanied him. But Pius XII refused to go to bed. He took a casual walk, then worked in his office. It was impossible to overcome his "holy stubbornness". Yet, fearing complications, Sister Pasqualina summoned the pope's personal physician and renowned cardiologist Gazbarini from Venice to Castel Gandolfo.

On Monday, Pius XII woke up with a severe headache. He rang the bell. The valet, Pasqualina, and the chamberlain entered the room. Dad was pale, sweating, and panting. They gave him a sleeping pill and he fell asleep. An hour later, Galeazzi-Lisi arrived, listened to the patient, and found his condition satisfactory. Pius XII got up, ate his breakfast, and went to his office at eight-thirty, but on the threshold he suddenly shouted: "I can't see, I can't see anything!", lost consciousness and collapsed on the floor. They moved him to the bed. At this time, Gazbarini arrived, accompanied by another celebrity, Professor Corelli. They found that the pope has " cerebral circulation spasms caused by atherosclerosis." The Pope's relatives, the Pacelli princes, as well as curial cardinals and heads of the State Secretariat, were notified. At 4 p.m., Dad regained consciousness. He struggled to get up. The doctors struggled to keep him in bed. Pacelli's condition improved markedly on Tuesday. His nephews and closest collaborators demanded to move the pope to the Vatican. But the doctors strongly objected, and the pope stayed in Castel Gandolfo.

After learning about the pope's illness, diplomats and ministers began to arrive there. The army of journalists, radio, film and telephone correspondents also grew by leaps and bounds. They were all besieging the papal palace, seeking news by any means necessary. On Wednesday, the patient had an even more serious brain spasm. A microphone was installed at the door of the papal bedchamber, and a radio announcer transmitted information about the patient's condition. He reported, for example, that the pope was "wheezing", "moaning", "complaining", being given some injections, infusions, and other details that deprived the vicar of God on Earth of the mystery bordering on the supernatural and created by his helpful panegyrists for decades.

Suddenly, the journalists were blown away from the papal court. An hour later, the news of Papa's death was announced in the emergency papers. It turned out that this was a misunderstanding. It turns out that in order to get ahead of his competitors, the correspondent of the newspaper "II Tempo" agreed for a corresponding fee with one of the prelates who had access to the papal chambers, that the latter would signal the death of the pope by opening a window in the designated window. The window was indeed open, but by a different prelate who just wanted to ventilate the room. This was another "miracle" associated with the name of Pius XII: the world learned of his death well in advance , But the life has not yet left Pacelli's body, although no one hoped for his recovery. This was confirmed by the trunks with mourning accessories that were urgently delivered to Castel Gandolfo from the Vatican, three coffins - lead, oak and cypress with a massive crystal lid, which were also brought to the papal country residence and unloaded in front of the journalists who returned there.

9. Alarm at the Vatican

On the night of October 9, Pius XII died at the age of 82 after a reign of almost 20 years. Warnings were immediately sent to all cardinals to come to the Vatican for the conclave. Five days passed before the pope's remains were moved

36 Ibid., p. 130.

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To Rome: This ceremony took place on October 13, 1958. In the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Peter's coffin was placed on a special pedestal in the Chapel of the Holy Sacraments, so that the pope's feet were right next to the bars of the chapel and visitors could kiss them if they wanted-Back in December 1945. Pius XII approved special instructions for the burial and election of popes. This document, which regulated the implementation of the above-mentioned procedures in great detail, seemed to provide for any difficulties that might arise during them. But even this regulation could not provide for everything. The instruction ordered to make a statement of the pope's death to the camerlengue of the Roman Church. He had to remove from the face of Pius XII the white handkerchief that his relatives used to cover the deceased, and, calling the pope by his baptismal name, he called him three times to respond. If the pope was silent, the Camerlengue would declare aloud: "Indeed, the pope is dead." But the difficulty was that Pius XII died without leaving the Chamberlain.

It was an enchanted circle. In order to get out of it, Cardinal Tisserand, dean of the conclave, in clear violation of the instructions, for which he was threatened with automatic excommunication, assumed the duties of chamberlain of the Church and declared Pius XII dead. Thus, the Vatican has entered the "vacant see" phase, during which the work of all its institutions stops, according to the formula "The Throne is vacant - no innovations". During this period, only the commission of curial cardinals works, which must organize the funeral of the pope, seal his papers and chambers, read out his will, ensure the safety of the Vatican's property, and then convene a conclave to elect a new pope. Meanwhile, St. Peter's Basilica reported that the remains of Pius XII were rapidly decomposing. The cardinals decided to cover them with a crystal lid, thus canceling the traditional ceremony of kissing the feet of the deceased. The funeral service for Pius XII was shortened, and he was hastily interred in St. Peter's Basilica. Peter.

Everyone complained about the papal physician Galeazzi-Lisi, who promised to preserve the corpse of Pius XII safely. The deplorable result of embalming did not prevent Galeazzi-Lisi from making a big profit on the death of his high-ranking patient. He secretly took a series of pictures of the dying Pacelli, filming the pope-the vicar of God! "at the time of the enema and blood transfusion. Galeazzi-Lisi sold his photographs and diaries to the French magazine Paris-Match for 6 million francs, and then published a book on the same subject for an equally substantial fee .37 The publication of these materials caused outrage in various circles of Italian society. The doctor claimed that the pope's corpse decomposed with incredible rapidity. When the clerical press accused Galeazzi-Lisi of insulting the pope's memory, he claimed that he, as a doctor, considered himself a materialist, and described the course of the disease without taking into account the "supernatural" functions of his former patient. After that, the bourgeois press tried to present the doctor as a swindler who had ingratiated himself with the vicar of God. He was expelled from the Vatican and expelled from the Italian Society of Physicians.

But Galeazzi-Lisi was not a random figure in the pope's entourage, and the press organs that printed his memoirs were not tabloids. "The agencies and newspapers, "wrote the Italian Communist Party organ L'Unita," that paid Galeazzi-Lizi are not pornographic magazines that are sold under the carpet, but pillars of Western civilization. Galeazzi-Lisi himself is not a mushroom that has appeared out of nowhere in the Vatican walls; he is a close friend of Jedda, the president of Catholic Action, and a friend of many cardinals who have entrusted him with the Pope's life. Galeazzi-Lisi is one of the many characters raised by the wave of "politicization" of the church and covering up their political and financial scams with a portrait of the pope... When Galeazzi-Lisi was involved in a vulgar scandal, no one dared to touch him. Today, this doctor, deprived of patronage, got what he deserved. But the rest of us, who enjoy the patronage of the authorities, what is the threat to them? " 38 .

37 R. Galleazzi-Lisi. Dans l'hombre et la lumiere de Pie XII. P. 1960.

38 "L'Unita", 19.XI.1958.

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10. Farewell to an obsolete era

While the cardinals gathered for the conclave and buried Pius XII, the world press summed up the results of his pontificate. The balance was disappointing. The overwhelming majority of commentators noted that the influence of the Catholic Church on the masses everywhere has fallen, that the church is hopelessly behind the modern world, does not understand its problems, and refuses to participate in solving the problems facing humanity in the XX century. No less unanimous were the opinions of the press about the militant anti-communist course of the late pope: it did not justify itself. Communist influence in Italy, France, and other "Catholic countries" grew steadily, despite the Vatican's anathemas and excommunications. Even such an ardent anti-Communist as the Catholic K. L. Bus, the US ambassador to Rome in the early 1950s, had to admit even during the lifetime of Pius XII that his crusade against communism had turned out to be a defeat for the church. On January 5, 1954, she issued the following statement: "In 1949, the Communists were excommunicated from the Church. In doing so, the church itself took on the burden that still weighs on it today. Millions of people then left the church and did not return to its bosom. It is only natural that Italians who were excommunicated because of their political beliefs should become even more strongly anti-clerical. " 39
American journalists persistently accused the late Pope of leading the Catholic Church into a dead end with his short-sighted policies. One of them, R. Nevin, wrote: "Even the most zealous fans of Pius XII had to admit that in the last years of his reign, not everything was going well. Although Pius XII received thousands of pilgrims, he was increasingly isolated from the outside world and dependent on the information provided by a small group of individuals... The number of cardinals was reduced from 70 to 54, half of whom were so old that it was difficult for them to walk from one end of St. Peter's to the other during the funeral of Pius XII."40
The bourgeois press of Italy and other countries discussed candidates for the papacy, their advantages and disadvantages, and their chances of being elected. Reactionary newspapers expressed the hope that the new pope would be as unapologetic to communism as his predecessor. To ensure this continuity, J. F. Dulles, the main troubadour of the Cold War, came to Rome, extolling the political achievements of Pius XII and explicitly hinting to the cardinals that the US government expected them to elect a pope who would continue Pacelli's policies.

However, in some clerical circles, votes were heard for the election of a "religious" rather than a "political" pope. The term "religious" pope meant a head of the Catholic Church who would not speak so openly in defense of the "old regime", but would focus on purely ecclesiastical issues. Others justified the necessity of electing a "religious" pope by the fact that Pius XII's "Atlantic" policy turned the Vatican into an appendage of the US State Department. A" religious " pope, more flexible, more diplomatic, could, it seemed to them, fight communism with greater success. There were also some Catholic figures who, when proposing the election of a "religious" pope, demanded a radical change in the previous course of the Vatican, to adhere to a policy of neutrality in issues that divide the West and the East, the capitalist camp and the socialist world. Let clerical organizations and parties handle politics, they said, but churchmen, at least in public, should avoid speaking out on political issues.

The Conclave elected Cardinal Giovanni Roncalli-John XXIII, whose name is associated with the renewal course of the Catholic Church, a departure from the ultra-reactionary positions of Pius XII.

39 "Exposing anti-communism in Italy", Moscow, 1956, p. 149.

40 "Il Tempo" (Roma), 31.III.1959.

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