As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Pius XII's papacy, we cannot fail to recall that, before his death in 1958, he had made all the preparations for the Second Vatican Council.

When World War II ended, Jews, world leaders and all media outlets praised Pius XII for his courageous efforts. Elected Pope on March 2, 1939, he received the papal tiara on March 12, 1939. An editorial in The New York Times, December 25, 1941, "The voice of Pius XII is a lonely voice .." Indeed, he saved an estimated 860,000 Jews from the Nazi death camps, issued false baptismal certificates to Jews, disguising some in cassocks and hiding others in monasteries and convents

On September 18, 2008, speaking to a group of rabbis, Jewish scholars and members of Pave the Way Foundation, Pope Benedict XVI stated that Pius XII "spared no effort in intervening on behalf of the Jews and courageously worked behind the scenes to save thousands from the Nazis." And on October 9, 2008, during the Mass on the 50th aniversary of his death, Pope Benedict again came to the defense of the saintly Pope Pius XII.

From the beginning of World War II, the Vatican served as a refuge for all. The following document from the Vatican Archives shows that Jews appealed to Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust: "Jews of great importance have turned to the Holy Father to ask his intervention because of the excessive antisemitic actions taking place in Germany. Since it is the tradition of the Holy See to extend its universal mission of peace and charity toward all men, no matter what their social condition or religion may be, intervening also whenever necessary through its charitable offices, the Holy Father entrusts Your Excellency with the task of finding out if and how it may be possible to take an interest in this matter in a most desirable way.."

After Italy declared war against the Allies, ambassadors from France, Great Britain, Poland, and Belgium moved into Vatican City. In June 1944, when Italy joined the Allies, they returned to their embassies in Rome. At that time, the German ambassador to Italy moved into the Vatican. When Rome was liberated, Pius XII made a fervent plea for tolerance. He feared for the fate of Jewish prisoners still in Nazi-Fascist hands in northern Italy and in Germany itself. He saved the lives of many refugees, political prisoners of war, and displaced persons who lived in the Vatican during this period.

Several years ago, I interviewed Eva-Marie Jung Inglessis, a victim of the war sheltered by the Church. As a 23-year-old student in Munich, Eva-Marie Inglessis belonged to a Catholic political group and was classified as an anti-Nazi. In 1943, when she arrived in Rome to continue her doctoral studies in philosophy, the Nazis began searching for her. Fortunately, the compassionate Rector of the German College was a family friend and came to her rescue. He obtained special permission for Eva-Marie to live there. For four years she was the only woman living in the German College, normally reserved for priests who worked in the Vatican. There she joined the 100 refugees from all nations-Jews, Americans, British, Germans, Italians. She was given a very small area for privacy and was assigned to work with the Sisters in the kitchen of the College. When Father Robert Leiber, the Pope's secretary, learned that the Nazis were searching for Eva-Marie in Rome, he warned her that she should not leave the Vatican. During this period, she met Pius XII privately.

After the war, Eva-Marie Jung was officially recognized as a displaced person under the protection of the Vatican. She completed her studies for a doctorate in Church History at the State University of Rome (La Sapienza). Later, she married Emelio Inglessis who had served His Excellency Angelo Roncalli, Apostolic Delegate in Istanbul, as an altar-boy and interpreter. Later, Emelio and Eva-Marie were married in the private chapel in Castelgandolfo by Pope John XXIII.

No one practiced charity more than Pope Pius XII during World War II. He was praised for his efforts to save the Jews from the Nazi death camps. When the Nazis occupied Rome in 1943, some Jews were disguised as priests, others joined the papal police force, many others were hidden in cloistered monasteries and convents. A total of 5,000 Roman Jews were saved.

Margherita Marchione, PhD, author of: Yours Is a Precious Witness: Memoirs of Jews and Catholics in Wartime Italy (1997); Pius XII: Architect for Peace (2000); Consensus and Controversy (2002); Shepherd of Souls: A Pictorial Life of Pius XII (2002), Man of Peace (2003), Crusade of Charity: Pius XII and POWs (2006), Did Pope Pius XII Help the Jews? (2007), Paulist Press.