![]() His decisions regarding the hierarchy leveled the playing field for future papal elections, most notably in 1946 when he eliminated the Italian majority in the College of Cardinals. A fierce opponent of Communism, in 1949 Pius approved a document that declared Catholics who profess Communist doctrine excommunicated. He also faced challenges in the Eastern Bloc, where Catholics endured severe persecution and mass deportations of Catholic clergy. After his 1939 election, he led the Church during World War II, and played a role in saving thousands of Jewish people from the Nazis. Pius XII died in 1958 after serving for pope for nearly two decades. And no figure was more central to the Church before the Council was Pope Pius XII. One cannot understand Vatican II without understanding the Church in the years leading up to the Council.
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