Hitler’s Pope: Pope Francis Wants To Open Vatican Archives To Investigation Into Pope Pius XII And His Role During WWII

According to the Daily Telegraph, a close friend of Pope Francis says the new pontiff wants to open the Vatican archives and allow scholars to dig deeper into the role of Pope Pius XII during WWII. Pope Pius has become known as "Hitler's Pope." Critics of his reign speculate the late Pope was cooperating with the fascist regimes of Italy and Germany and did not do enough to protect Jews during the holocaust.

Rabbi Abraham Skorka knew Pope Francis when he was a Cardinal in Argentina, and says that the pair spent many hours speaking about the role of Pope Pius XII role during WWII.

In an interview with The Tablet, Skorka said his friend would be a "revolutionary pope" and knew Francis would want to get to the bottom of the "Hitler's Pope" matter.

Pope Pius XII, or "Hitler's Pope," as history has come to know him, began his time in the Vatican in 1939 and ended it with his death in 1958. Despite his title as "Hitler's Pope," Pius XII was on his way to becoming a saint.

Two years ago a group of scholars asked Pope Benedict to put a stop to the process until the archives were opened and more was learned about his wartime role. Now it seems as though Pope Francis will allow the archives to be opened in order to investigate "Hitler's Pope."

"I think he's going to change everything that he believes needs to be changed," Rabbi Skorka said.