Word: pius
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...gold in the shape of a cross. But the tomb of St. Peter, presumably filled with earth to protect it from invading barbarians, has never been found. Some Protestant scholars have argued that Peter was never in Rome at all. In 1937, when he was Papal Secretary of State, Pius XII became interested in the ancient tombs uncovered by Vatican workers burrowing below ground to check on the foundations supporting St. Peter's dome. When he became Pope, he gave orders for further investigations. For the past nine years, delicate digging has been under way beneath the great basilica...
Vacancies & Rumors. Vatican customs have by no means changed; Pius XII makes known no more of his plans for consistories and red hats than did Julius III. But this week, as the 73-year-old Pope began a three-week rest period, there were rumors aplenty that a new batch of cardinals would be created before year's end. Reasons: 1) papal tradition designates December (during Advent) as the most appropriate time for creating new cardinals; 2) the Pope will probably be calling a consistory in December anyway, in connection with the ceremonies inaugurating the Holy Year...
Shortly before Pope Pius XII published the decree, Czech Communists had taken another step in their assault on Prague's Archbishop Beran and his hierarchy. In a memorandum signed by Party Secretary Rudolf Slansky, plans were made to build up a government-controlled national church. Another circular detailed punishments for priests who had read Beran's pastoral letters denouncing Communist persecution of the church. "Finally," said the circular, "we shall accuse [the Catholic hierarchy] directly of high treason...
...churches last Sunday Czech priests read a defiant resolution, proclaiming their loyalty to Archbishop Beran and Pius XII. "We are certain," the resolution declared, "that all conscientious and faithful Catholics agree with us and that they would so testify if they were given the opportunity of free speech...
...deliver) material abundance. They said that Communism was not opposed to religion. Yet they also said (more quietly)-and this was a fact -that the Communist philosophy was essentially atheistic and that the only morality it recognized was based upon what was good or bad for the "world revolution." Pius XII's excommunication decree was an effort to expose the Communist duplicity. He was repeating: "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." The strength of the Pope's divisions would be measured by how well he succeeded in clarifying the 20th Century's great confusion...