A newly-uncovered Vatican 1942 letter suggests that then-Pope Pius XII likely knew about Nazi genocide. Pope Pius XII had already been scrutinized for his negotiations with Nazi Germany. Pope Pius XII was afraid Hitler would winGalerie Bilderwelt/Getty ImagesThe relationship between Pope Pius XII and Nazi leadership, especially Adolf Hitler, has long been uncovered and brought Pius under scrutiny, suggesting the pontiff was probably aware of Leiber's correspondence with König. "Pius XII was afraid of, certainly in the first years of the war, that the Nazis were going to win. The beatification process for Pius XII, which started in 1967, has been delayed because of his controversial choices during World War II.

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Persons: Pope Pius XII, Sera, Pope, Pius, David Kertzer's, Giovanni Coco, Corriere, Robert Leiber, Lothar König, Hitler, Adolf Hitler, Pius XII, Mussolini, David Kertzer Organizations: Nazi, Service, The Guardian, Nazi Jesuit, Galerie, PBS Locations: Nazi Germany, Wall, Silicon, Germany, German, Polish, Rava, Ukraine, Belzec, Nazi, Poland, Auschwitz, Dachau, There's, Europe