Archives on controversial war-time Pope Pius XII set to open The Archivist and Librarian of the Roman Church discusses the project of 150 researchers from across the world who have requested access to the Vatican's 'apostolic archives' (formerly the 'secret archives') to study the records on Pope Pius XII. The Vatican's archives on Pope Pius XII are poised to be unsealed, with historians hoping to uncover previously hidden details about the most controversial pope in history. The papacy of Pius XII lasted from 1939 to 1958, tumultuous years that covered World War II and the Holocaust. Pius XII remains a controversial figure as he never publicly condemned the Nazi regime. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES