The recent opening of the Vatican Archives related to Pius XII’s pontificate in March 2020 was an important event for historiographical debate. For a long time the historians have requested the opening of these archives in order to study Pacelli’s controversial pontificate. Finally, pope Francis decided to open them and, in this way, allowed scholars to study Pacelli’s documents. That opening revitalised the debate regarding some central problems surrounding Pacelli’s pontificate, including the role of the Catholic Church during the Holocaust. The aim of this panel is to discuss the initial results of the research that scholars are currently conducting in the Vatican Archives. The period in question is Pacelli’s entire pontificate (1939–1958). Thus, it will be possible provide a place for presentation of research aimed at analysing topics related to World War II and the post-war period.Session 1: Opening remarks by the organizing committee Session 2Chair: Aurel Dewarrat (Université de Fribourg)Speakers:Roberto Regoli (Pontificia Università Gregoriana), TBAJan De Volder (KU Leuven), Pius XII and the Low Countries (1939-1958)Monika Stolarczyk-Bilardie (KU Leuven), Holocaust Awareness in the Vatican (1941-1942)Angela Cimino (Deutsches Historisches Institut in Rom (DHI) / FSCIRE), The Holy See’s concerns toward the State of Israel: an analysis of Vatican documentsChiara Solazzo (FSCIRE), Pius XII and CommunismLandry Vedrenne (Institut Catholique de Paris), Pius XII and China: evangelization and diplomacySam Kuijken (KADOC, KU Leuven), Catholic Internationalism: the Jeunesse Ouvrière Chretienne InternationaleSession 3: Discussion and final remarks