Born: 2 March 1876 · Died: 9 October 1958 · Age at death: 82
How old was Pius XII when he died?
Pius XII died aged 82. He was born on 2 March 1876 and died on 9 October 1958.
Italian pope who led the Catholic Church during the Second World War, whose response to the Holocaust remains debated
Did you know?He was the first pope to be seen on television, appearing in a broadcast several years before the medium became common.
Quick facts
Date of birth2 March 1876
Date of death9 October 1958
Age at death82
Cause of deathHeart failure
NationalityItalian
BirthplaceRome, Italy
OccupationLatin Catholic priest, Catholic bishop
Editor's Take:
Pius XII led the Catholic Church through the Second World War and the early Cold War. He was an experienced Vatican diplomat who had served in Germany. He became pope in March 1939, months before war broke out. His public silence about the Holocaust remains deeply debated. Defenders point to the Church's hidden efforts to shelter Jews in Rome and elsewhere. Critics say he should have spoken out clearly. After the war he was a firm opponent of communism. In 1950 he defined the Assumption of Mary as dogma.
Key Milestones
1917: Munich – papal nuncio
1930: Secretary of State – Vatican
1939: Pope – elected
1950: Assumption – dogma defined
Pope Pius XII (Italian: Pio XII; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 1876 – 9 October 1958) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958.
