Testament of Pope Pius XII


signed his testament on May 15, 1956, some fifteen months before his death. Unlike the testaments of his predecessor Pius X and successor John Paul II, it is a very short document, omitting names, details and designations of individual material belongings.
Supporters of Pope Pius XII view the testament as a testimonial of his modesty and spiritual holiness. It has been quoted at memorial events in his honour and is allegedly a part of the documentation of his beatification process underway in Rome.
Noteworthy is the first sentence in Latin: Miserere mei, Deus, secundum misericordiam tuam. When the Pope pronounced these words after his election March 2, 1939, the word magnam was a part of the cited Psalm. However the new 1956 translation left out this word. In order to be correct in his 1939 quote, Pope Pius put in parentheses.

Text

Alternative translation

Another translation of the Testament was given by Dorothy Day in Catholic Worker magazine. The naming of faults has an extra phrase: "sins committed". This is a significant inclusion, knowing Day's admiration of Pius XII. Dropping the strong words "sins committed" would need to be explained. Also interesting is the translation "scandalized". The complete listing of faults follows: