Pope Pius XII (Eugenio Pacelli)
He'd be canonized by now if he had smiled more.
But, I suppose having been involved with World War I, the redrawing of the boundaries of Europe, Mussolini, the Weimar Republic, Nazism, Communism, the Great Depression, World War II, the Holocaust and the Cold War, he didn't have a lot to smile about.
Click on the image for full size
From an article in the NY Times in 2001
3 comments:
I believe his more sober, official photos were simply part of the culture or period. A serious, sober demeanor, devoid of superficial emotion and sentiment was a sort of protocol for the aristocracy, reigning monarchs, heads of state, as well as the episcopacy in those days before the American innovation of back slapping informalism.
Thanks for the wonderful photo!
+JMJ+
Oh, my! I truly did not recognise him.
It is a wonderful photo. Thank you for sharing it. =)
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