Commenting on this historic event, The Times (Feb. 13, 1929) said :—"It is a great fact in the history of the Roman Church and of United Italy, now for the first time invested with a complete religious unity in the minds of all her Catholic citizens. . . . With the signal courage and breadth of view which have led him to carry out this great work of peace, the pope assumes the whole responsibility for his departure from the course followed by his predecessors for almost 6o years. He declares that the only aid he has had during his long study of what until two days since was still the 'Roman Question' has been from the prayers of the faith ful of his communion. . . . The credit of the initiative is as signed to Signor Mussolini, but he must have known that in the pope, whose first act was to bless the people from the outer loggia of St. Peter's he would find a ready listener. . . . The pontifical banner and the flag of United Italy flew side by side on St. Peter's yesterday. In the words of the governor of Rome, 'what seemed to be a poet's dream' has indeed 'become a splendid reality.' " On March 9, the pope received the entire diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See to receive from them the congratula tions of the nations of the world on the settlement of the "Roman Question" by the Lateran Treaty. More than seventy diplomats representing about thirty-five countries assembled before his holi ness in the throne room.
In his reply the pope declared that the diplomatists' visit was "truly the greatest and the most important that could be made to us. For behind each one of you, we cannot prevent ourselves from seeing your respective State leaders, kings, presidents, regents, or by whatever other name they are called, and with them your peoples and your countries. . . . The sympathy and union of your countries and peoples at a moment (or, it can be said, a turning point) so important in the history of the Holy See and the Church, are translated into such solemn demonstrations that they have replaced and surpassed without measure all the guarantees which we could have desired." His holiness went on to refer to "another guarantee, which since February 11 has been filling the entire world. That is this great, incomparable (and perhaps up till now unprecedented) plebiscite, not only of Italy, but of all parts of the world. There is no exaggeration in these words : we have re
ceived letters and dispatches not only from all the towns and vil lages of Italy, not only from all the towns and many of the vil lages of the countries of Europe, but also from the two Americas, from India, from China, from Japan, from Australia, from New Zealand, from Northern, Central and South Africa, from Alaska, from the Mackenzie, from the Hudson, as if it all concerned a local affair. What an impressive event, and one which authorizes us to state, that not only the people, but that the peoples of the entire world are with us; a true plebiscite, not only national, but world-wide. And there is the most imposing guarantee that can he thought of or imagined." Pius XII., 1939.--Significantly, Eugenio Pacelli chose the name of Pius when he was elected pope, March 2, 1939, for as papal secretary of State under Pius XI. he had been the foremost exponent of his predecessor's program of peace among nations. The speed with which the conclave of cardinals elected him be spoke a firm purpose to continue the policies of Pius XI. without interruption. His election, in fact, broke a long-standing tradition that a secretary of State should not succeed to the papacy.
A native Roman of noble descent, born March 2, 1876, Pacelli was ordained to the priesthood in 1899. In Nov. 1912, he was named consultor of the Holy Office and in 1914 he was appointed secretary of the Congregation of Extraordinary Affairs. Pius XII.
was well grounded in diplomacy at the time of his election. As papal nuncio at Munich during the World War and as nuncio to the German republic from 1920 to 1929 he had proved himself to be a prelate of wide political experience and tact. He was created cardinal on Dec. 16, 1929. As camerlingo he became papal regent immediately after the death of Pius XI. on Feb. 10, 1939.
Germany quite frankly viewed the election of Pius XII. with misgiving because he had frequently denounced those "who are possessed by superstition of race or blood" as enemies of the church. His first official acts showed also that the church's stern opposition to communism would probably not be modified during his pontificate. (See Plus XII.) (X.)