Pius XII and the Holy Year of 1950
The Jubilee of 1950 was of great importance for the pontificate of Pius XII. Five years after the end of World War II, it represented the real conclusion of the conflict for Pope Pacelli. The people who had been forced to fight each other on the battlefields were called to Rome to pray together and forgive each other. It also provided an opportunity to affirm a true culture of peace during the first stage of the Cold War. The hope was that the invitation to Rome, could also foster the return to the Church of those who professed and propagated communism, after the decree of excommunication issued by the Sant’Uffizio in 1949.
The conference aims to illustrate – in the first panel – the role of the Roman Curia and the Vatican Institutions in the implementation of the initiatives planned for the Holy Year. Then - in the second and third panel - the cooperation of governments and the participation of pilgrims from Western European states and the Americas in the great event. Finally – in the fourth and final panel – the hostile reaction of USSR and Soviet Bloc countries to the jubilee and how, however, the participation by the Catholic faithful of those countries in the Holy Year was realized, despite the prohibitions and limitations imposed by the communist governments.