Archives 'show Pope XII helped Jews'

(ANSA) - Vatican City, March 2 - The Vatican on Monday opened up its archives on Pius XII and an expert said the documents show that World War II pontiff acted to help Jews during the Holocaust. Pius XII, who was the head of the Catholic Church from 1939 to 1958, has been accused of failing to try to stop Nazi Germany murdering Jews.
    Johan Ickx, the director of the historical archive of the Section for Relations with States of the Holy See's Secretariat of State, said the Church's role under Pius XII is shown by a folders with requests for help from around 4,000 people.
    He said the documents included evidence of Vatican officials providing false documents to Jews and taking in persecuted people in extraterritorial Vatican buildings.