Pope announces opening of secret archives of wartime pontiff Pius XII

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis announced on Monday that he has decided to open the Vatican's secret archives on the wartime pontificate of Pope Pius XII, something which Jews have been seeking for decades.

Some Jews have said Pius, who reigned from 1939 to 1958, turned a blind eye to the Holocaust by not speaking out forcefully. The Vatican has said Pius worked quietly behind the scenes to save Jews and to not worsen the situation. The archives will open on March 2, 2020, Francis announced.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Giselda Vagnoni)