Vatican City during World War II
Vatican City pursued a policy of neutrality during World War II, under the leadership of Pope Pius XII. Although the city of Rome was occupied by Germany from September 1943 and the Allies from June 1944, Vatican City itself was not occupied. The Vatican organised extensive humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the conflict.
Media[edit]
Osservatore Romano[edit]
The Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's newspaper, published in Italian, was the only newspaper in Italy not censored by the Italian government.[47] Despite its relatively moderate content, the paper was lionized by the British and French press and vilified by the Italian Fascist press.[48] By 20 May 1940, the paper ceased publishing any articles about the war not authored by the "official Italian war communique", per an agreement with the Italian government.[49] By August 1940 its weather reports were also eliminated when the Italian government protested that they might aid British aircraft.[50]
Vatican Radio[edit]
Vatican Radio was in a similar situation; for example, it ceased news about prisoners-of-war, which the Italian government worried would hint at the location of ships.[51] It also ceased reporting on the weather, for the same reason.[51] After Cardinal August Hlond issued a fiery, Polish-language message to Poland over the radio (which could scarcely be picked up in Poland), "nothing like this broadcast was ever allowed to happen again".[52] After German complaints, the radio ceased any discussion of the situation in Poland, and later ceased discussing the situation of the church in Germany.[53] Pius XII spoke over the radio on several occasions, most notably during his 1942 Christmas address in which he voiced concern at the murder of "hundreds of thousands" of "faultless" people on the basis of no more than their "race or nationality".
Film[edit]
During the German occupation of Rome, two films, The Gates of Heaven[54] by Vittorio de Sica and The Ten Commandments[55] by Giorgio Walter Chili, were shot inside the Vatican City. The shooting was discreetly prolonged. This allowed the film workers an excuse to avoid moving to Venice to participate in the propaganda of the Republic of Salò. Several Jews and people persecuted by the Nazis were hired for the films. The filming and the sheltering of the refugees disturbed the Vatican residents.