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Pope Pius XII (2 March 1876 - 9 October 1958), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli, reigned as the 260th pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City, from 2 March 1939 until his death. His actions during World War II have been the subject of controversy.
Pius XII in The Hot War
Pope Pius XII reigned during both the Second and Third World Wars.[1]
Pius XII in Worldwar
Pope Pius XII (1876-1944) was Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church from 1939 until his violent death in 1944.
When the Race's Conquest Fleet subdued Italy in 1942, Pius encouraged Catholics in areas overrun by the Race's forces to cooperate with their authority.[2] Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov called for Pius' assassination at a Big Five strategy meeting in London but his allies protested the notion.[3]
Pius was killed in 1944 when Germany destroyed Rome with an atomic bomb.[4]
Pius XII in The War That Came Early
Pius XII was Pope during the Second World War. Chaim Weinberg, a devoted communist atheist, believed that sex with La Martellita was probably as close to heaven as Pius XII would ever hope to get.[5]
Literary comment
As his accession comes after the point of divergence, and new Popes often simply take the name of a popular predecessor, it is barely possible that this Pius XII is someone other than Eugenio Pacelli. He is included here for convenience.
Pius XII in Southern Victory
Pope Pius XII was criticized for not condemning various human rights abuses around the globe in the early 20th century such as the Russian pogroms against the Jews and the Ottoman genocide against the Armenians as well as the Confederate Population Reduction. Some critics believed he would have been more vocal if such an atrocity were committed against a group which had a Catholic majority.[6] This criticism was questionable, since the population reduction was being carried out in strongly Catholic Haiti as well as the CSA.
Literary Comment
Since this Pius XII reigns 81 years after the POD, it is unknown whether he is the same man who used that numeral in OTL. He is included here for convenience.
References
- ↑ Fallout, loc. 1704.
- ↑ See, e.g., Tilting the Balance, pg. 21.
- ↑ In the Balance, pg. 227.
- ↑ Upsetting the Balance, pg. 527, PB.
- ↑ Coup d'Etat, pg. 204.
- ↑ The Grapple, pg. 456, HC.
| Religious titles (OTL) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Pius XI |
Pope 1939-1958 |
Succeeded by John XXIII |
| Preceded by Pius XI |
Pope 1939-1944 |
Succeeded by Successors unnamed |
| Religious titles (Fictional Work) | ||
| Preceded by Pius XI |
Pope (The War That Came Early) 1939-19?? |
Succeeded by Incumbent at series' end, 1944 |
| Preceded by Last known is Pius IX |
Pope (Southern Victory) 1939(?)-19?? |
Succeeded by Incumbent at series' end, 1945 |
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