Pacelli Essay Plan.docx

Eugenio Pacelli, born into a family of the "Black Nobility" in Rome, Italy on 2^nd^ March 1876, was ordained as Pope Pius XII on the 2^nd^ of April 1938. The complex interplay between the obvious influence of Ultramontanism on his theological belief and leadership style, his devotion to the Primacy...

Eugenio Pacelli, born into a family of the "Black Nobility" in Rome, Italy on 2^nd^ March 1876, was ordained as Pope Pius XII on the 2^nd^ of April 1938. The complex interplay between the obvious influence of Ultramontanism on his theological belief and leadership style, his devotion to the Primacy of the Virgin Mary, and his diverse and extensive experience as a Canon Lawyer and the diplomat all impacted on his role as the leader of the Catholic Church. **-- 79 words** Eugenio Pacelli was born on March 2^nd^, 1876, in Rome, Italy, born into a wealthy family with historic working role ties to the papacy. His cousin being a key advisor to Pope Leo, his grandfather an undersecretary in the Papal ministry of finance and his father a Dean of Lawyers of the Rota and legal advisor to pope Pius XI. Not to mention, his brother negotiated the Lateran Treaty. His family belonged to the black nobility; Roman aristocratic families who sided with the papacy under Pope Pius IX after Rome was conquered and the papal states overthrown in 1870. Being brought up in the 70s/80s meant he was a child of Vatican I theology. This can be seen to influence his theological beliefs and leadership style. Syllabus of Errors and Vatican I were both still recent in the memories of \'high\' Catholics within the Black nobility particularly. Pacelli\'s family would have been even stronger believers in the idea of protecting the institution and preserving the authority of the Papacy. It is believed that at 12 years old, Pacelli announced his intentions to become a priest from there he finished secondary school. Then entering the seminary at age 18 in 1894 and enrolling in university, studying philosophy from 1895-1896 and receiving degrees in theology and canon and civil law in 1899. **-- 220 words** There is a very strong influence of ultramontanism on Pacelli's theological belief and leadership style. Ultramontanism is a belief in Roman Catholicism with a strong emphasis on papal authority and centralization of the church leadership. However, Pacelli would not have described himself as an ultra-montanist, but it is evident that the centralizing tendency of ultramontanism did appear in his view of the papacy. As a child Pacelli was at the center of the Church administrative hierarchy. His family were members of the 'black nobility', or those who served the pope after the loss of the Papal States in 1870. He believed that the Church required a strong centralised leadership to represent its interests politically as well as spiritually. His exposure to ultramontanism may have played a role in influencing his response to the challenges of communism and fascism in the 1920's and 1930's where he was determined to make sure the church remained independent of any earthly power and retained a voice in world affairs. As papal nuncio and Cardinal Secretary of State (1930-1939) he worked to ensure this by pursuing concordats with countries under the control of these regimes that protected the rights of the church and its freedom to operate. The most famous of which is the Reischskonkordat (1933). This was possibly one of the most prevalent moments of interplay between the Church and state. He preferred the approach of the Vatican diplomacy over Catholics creating political parties to represent their interests at a national level. An ultramontanist theology can also be seen in his decision to use his authority as pope to infallibly declare the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary in 1950. Through his infallible statement and various other statements, there is a strong identification of interplay of Pacelli's ultramontanist theology and the influence they had on both his life choices and decisions as Pope. **-- 309 words** The practice of Catholic Marian devotion had a strong influence on the theological orientation and style of leadership undertaken by Pius XII. Growing up Pacelli had a shrine to the Virgin Mary which he would regularly kneel and pray before. When asked one day by his mother what he prayed about, he replied "I pray to our lady." He also claims to have 4 occurrences in which he witnessed the miracle of the sun -- most known as the episode that occurred in Fatima, Portugal on October 13^th^, 1917, when the Virgin Mary appeared to three children. He considered his multiple experiences as confirmation of his plan to declare the dogma of Mary's immaculate conception. Looking at Pius' early life we can also notice his strong relationship with his mother and the heavy female influence on his early years. Pacelli was taught at elementary school by the sisters of Divine Providence who, along with his mother, he credits for giving him "his first principles of Christian piety." We can notice the strong interplay between the influence of his mother and how this influenced him in his later life. As pope, Pacelli\'s devotion to Mary was evident in his consecration of Feast Days such as the Feast of the Immaculate Heart (1942). He published several encyclicals on Marian theology, most notably Mystici Corporis (1943) which is a notable example of the interplay between Marian theology, and his leadership style taken. In paragraphs 110-112 he reiterates the dogma of Mary\'s immaculate conception that was originally proclaimed by pope Pius XI in 1854. Pope Pius XII states that Mary has a \'sinless soul\' and then provides a summary of his own Marian Theology. **Through this, the significant influence of female figures can be seen on his style of leadership taken as Pope. -- 298 words** Finally, his diverse and extensive experience as a Canon Lawyer and a diplomat shone through in his actions as Pope. **Since becoming a priest in 1899 and working with the church and Vatican since he was young, he experienced a lot of international conversation, some of which involved negotiation with others in the context of concordats.** Then later in his role as secretary of the Department of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical affairs at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Pacelli was given the responsibility for coordinating the Vatican relief effort. This experience may have later influenced him as pope to establish the Vatican Information Office in World War II to maintain and broadcast prisoner registries. This was a strong example of interplay between his diverse experience as a diplomat and his actions as Pope. The Vatican information office and radio allowed loved ones to reach each other during the war also revealing the "dreadful cruelties of uncivilized tyranny\" of the Nazis. **As the papal nuncio during Pope Pius XI's standing, he drafted 'Mitt Brennender Sorge' which was then published on** March 14^th^,1937**, an encyclical which condemned the breaches of the Reich Concordant. This passionate response of Mit Brennender Sorge from the church to the rising aggression of Nazism, raised direct objections against their views again reinforcing a 'clash of ideologies and the ever-increasing interplay between the two. He signed the diplomatic agreement between Hitler and the church, where the church would be free for expression, yet would not engage in politics in return for no persecution of Catholics. As such, Pope Pius XII welcomed Jewish people to the church with open arms to protect them from persecution. One of his more public displays of his concern of the treatment of the Jewish people was his Christmas address on December 24^th^, 1942**. **It expressed his anxiety "for those hundreds of thousands who, without any fault of their own...are marked down for death or progressive extinction."** **He continued to provide support and help throughout the 1940's by protesting deportations of the Jews and by providing safe spaces for them to hide**. **Pius opened his summer residence, Castel Gandalfo for use as a hiding place for at least 3000 Jews throughout the German Occupation of Rome (1943), and some 400 more were given sanctuary within the walls of the Vatican itself**. **Although their lives were endangered by harbouring these Jews, catholic leaders all followed in pope Pius' example. His courageous actions as Pope were strongly influenced by his extensive and diverse experiences. -- 420 words** Eugenio Pacelli can be seen as one of the most influential popes of the World War II period. The complex interplay between the obvious influence of Ultramontanism, his devotion to the Virgin Mary, and his diverse experience as a Canon Lawyer all impacted on his role as the leader of the Catholic Church from his election in 1938 to his death in 1958. **-- 63 words**