Pope Pius XI

The Vatican has opened to scholars and historians part of its secret archive from the twentieth century dating back to the rise of Mussolini and Hitler and the run up to the Second World War. This report from David Willey:

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Periodically the Pope decides to open to scrutiny by scholars and professional historians a new treasure house of documents. The latest to be made available dates from the reign of Pope Pius XI, who was elected pope in 1922 and led the Catholic church until his death shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.

No less than four notorious dictators came to power during this period - Benito Mussolini in Italy, Joseph Stalin in Russia, Adolf Hitler in Germany and Francisco Franco in Spain. Details of relations between the Vatican and these countries during this period will be of outstanding interest to scholars.

The future Pope Pius XII was the Vatican's nuncio or ambassador in Berlin in the 1930s and his correspondence with Rome will also be eagerly scrutinised. Pope Pius XI refused to meet Hitler when he visited Rome in 1938 at Mussolini's invitation. The Pope ordered the Vatican museums to be closed and shut himself up at his residence at Castelgandolfo until Hitler had left town.

David Willey, BBC News, Rome

Listen to the words

houses
has, is home to

dating back
as old as

fireproof bunkers
strongly built shelters able to resist fire or heat

to open to scrutiny
to make available for examination

reign
the period when a monarch rules a country, or in this case, when a Pope leads the Church

outbreak
sudden beginning

notorious dictators
rulers with unrestricted authority who are famous for something bad

of outstanding interest
very interesting

eagerly scrutinised
examined, or studied with great interest

shut himself up
stayed inside

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