ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Pope Pius XII and the raid on the Roman ghetto

Okay kiddo, so there was a man named Pope Pius XII and he was in charge of the Catholic Church a long time ago, during World War II. At that time, there were a lot of people who didn't like Jewish people, and they were being treated very badly by a group called the Nazis.

In Rome, there was a neighborhood called the Roman Ghetto, where many Jewish people lived. One day, the Nazis decided to do a raid on the ghetto. This means that they sent a lot of soldiers there to hurt and arrest Jewish people.

Now, Pope Pius XII knew about what was happening to the Jewish people and he didn't like it. He believed that everyone should be treated with kindness, no matter what their religion or race was. So, he decided to try and help the Jewish people in the Roman Ghetto.

He did a few things to try and help. First, he spoke out against the Nazis and their actions. He said that what they were doing was wrong and that everyone should be treated with respect. This made a lot of people listen to him and think more about what was happening.

Next, he helped a lot of Jewish people hide from the Nazis. He told priests and nuns to open up their churches and convents so that Jewish people could hide there. This way, they wouldn't be found by the Nazis and hurt or arrested.

Finally, he helped to get a lot of Jewish people out of Rome altogether. He worked with other countries to try and get them to take in Jewish refugees. This way, they could leave Italy and hopefully be safe from the Nazis.

So, even though the raid on the Roman Ghetto was a really scary and sad time, Pope Pius XII did everything he could to help the Jewish people. He spoke out against the Nazis, helped them hide, and helped them leave Italy. It was a hard time for everyone, but Pius XII showed us that we should treat everyone with kindness and respect, no matter who they are.