Editing Pope John XXIII (section)

==Episcopate==
In February 1925, the Cardinal Secretary of State [[Pietro Gasparri]] summoned him to the Vatican and informed him of [[Pope Pius XI]]'s decision to appoint him the [[apostolic visitor|Apostolic Visitor]] to [[Kingdom of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]] (1925–1935). On 3 March, Pius XI also appointed him [[titular archbishop]] of [[Rabba|Areopolis]],<ref>{{Citation |title=Provisio ecclesiarum |trans-title=Ecclesiastical provision |journal=[[Acta Apostolicae Sedis]] |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS%2017%20%5B1925%5D%20-%20ocr.pdf |volume=17 |year=1925 |page=140 |language=la |place=Rome, IT }}</ref> [[Jordan]].<ref>{{Catholic|no-icon=1|wstitle=Areopolis}}</ref> Roncalli was initially reluctant about a mission to Bulgaria, but he soon relented. His nomination as apostolic visitor was made official on 19 March.<ref>{{Citation |trans-title=Congregation for the Oriental Churches: nominations |title=Sacra congregatio pro ecclesia orientali: Nominationes |language=la |place=Rome, IT |journal=[[Acta Apostolicae Sedis]] |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS%2017%20%5B1925%5D%20-%20ocr.pdf |volume=17 |year=1925 |page=204}}</ref> Roncalli was consecrated a bishop by [[Giovanni Tacci Porcelli]] in the church of [[Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso|San Carlo al Corso]] in Rome, on 25 March 1925.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pope John XXIII (St. Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli) [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/broncalli.html |access-date=19 July 2024 |website=catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref>

On 30 November 1934, he was appointed [[Apostolic Nunciature to Turkey|Apostolic Delegate to Turkey]] and [[Apostolic Nunciature to Greece|Greece]] and titular archbishop of [[Nesebar|Mesembria]], Bulgaria.<ref>{{Citation |place=Rome, IT |title=Provisio ecclesiarum |journal=[[Acta Apostolicae Sedis]] |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS%2027%20%5B1935%5D%20-%20ocr.pdf |volume=27 |year=1935 |language=la |trans-title=Ecclesiastical provision |page=10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Doino |first=William |url=http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2012/07/pope-john-xxiii-conserver-of-tradition |title=Pope John XXIII: Conserver of Tradition &#124; Web Exclusives &#124; Daily Writings From Our Top Writers |date=2 July 2012 |publisher=First Things |access-date=28 April 2014}}</ref> He became known in Turkey's predominantly Muslim society as "the [[Turkophilia|Turcophile]] Pope".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/dunya/27668954.asp|title=Papa Françesko'nun Türkiye ziyaretinin programı|date=28 November 2014}}</ref> Roncalli took up this post in 1935 and used his office to help the Jewish underground in saving thousands of refugees in Europe, leading some to consider him to be a [[Righteous Among the Nations|Righteous Gentile]] (see [[Pope John XXIII and Judaism]]). In October 1935, he led Bulgarian pilgrims to Rome and introduced them to [[Pope Pius XI]] on 14 October.<ref>{{Citation |first=Peter |last=Hebblethwaite |title=John XXIII, Pope of the Council |edition=rev |publisher=Harper Collins |place=Glasgow |year=1994 |page=121}}</ref>

In February 1939, he received news from his sisters that his mother was dying. On 10 February 1939, Pope Pius XI died. Roncalli was unable to see his mother for the end as the death of a pontiff meant that he would have to stay at his post until the election of a new pontiff: she died on 20 February 1939, during the nine days of mourning for the late Pius XI. He was sent a letter by Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, and Roncalli later recalled that it was probably the last letter Pacelli sent until his election as [[Pope Pius XII]] on 2 March 1939. Roncalli expressed happiness that Pacelli was elected and, on the radio, listened to the [[Papal coronation|coronation]] of the new pontiff.<ref>{{Citation |first=Peter |last=Hebblethwaite |title=John XXIII, Pope of the Council |edition=rev |publisher=Harper Collins |place=Glasgow |year=1994 |pages=156–159}}</ref>

Roncalli remained in Bulgaria at the time that World War II commenced, optimistically writing in his journal in April 1939, "I don't believe we will have a war." When the war began, he was in Rome, meeting with Pope Pius XII on 5 September 1939. In 1940, Roncalli was asked by the Vatican to devote more of his time to Greece; therefore, he made several visits in January and May of that year.<ref>{{Citation |first=Peter |last=Hebblethwaite |title=John XXIII, Pope of the Council |edition=rev |publisher=Harper Collins |place=Glasgow |year=1994 |pages=159–162}}</ref> He maintained close relations with the Jews and also intervened to convince Bulgaria's King [[Boris III of Bulgaria|Boris III]] to cancel deportations of Greek Jews during the [[Axis occupation of Greece|Nazi occupation of Greece]].<ref name=xxiiijews>{{cite web | url=https://insidethevatican.com/magazine/pope/incomparable-pope-john-xxiii-jews-long/ |title = An Incomparable Pope – John XXIII and the Jews (Extended)|date = April 2014}}</ref>

===Efforts during the Holocaust===
As nuncio, Roncalli made efforts during [[the Holocaust]] in [[World War II]] to save refugees, mostly Jewish people, from the [[Nazis]]. Among his efforts were:
* Delivery of "immigration certificates" to [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]] through the [[Nunciature]] diplomatic courier.<ref name=Raoul>{{cite web|url=http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/general/humanitarian-actions-monsignor/ |title="Humanitarian actions of Monsignor Angelo Roncalli," The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation |work=The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation |publisher=Raoulwallenberg.net |access-date=28 April 2014 |last1=Ar |first1=Convistaalmar. com }}</ref>
* Rescue of Jews by means of certificates of "baptism of convenience" sent by Monsignor Roncalli to priests in Europe.<ref name=Raoul/>
* Children managed to leave [[Slovak Republic (1939–1945)|Slovakia]] due to his interventions.<ref>{{cite web|last=Klinghoffer |first=David |url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/arts/article/hitlers_pope_story_a_myth_rabbi_finds_20051104 |title=Hitler's Pope Story a Myth, Rabbi Finds – Arts |work=Jewish Journal |date= 3 November 2005 |access-date=23 June 2013}}</ref>
* Jewish refugees whose names were included on a list submitted by Rabbi Markus of Istanbul to Nuncio Roncalli.
* Jews held at [[Jasenovac concentration camp]], near [[Stara Gradiška]], were liberated as a result of his intervention.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/roncalli/tributes-29/two-italian-productions-about/|title=Two Italian productions about the "Turkish Pope" who saved Jewish lives|last=conVistaAlMar.com.ar|website=The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation|language=en-US|access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref>
* Bulgarian Jews who left [[Kingdom of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]], a result of his request to King [[Boris III of Bulgaria]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Hume |first=Brit |url=http://spectator.org/archives/2006/08/18/hitlers-pope/print |work=The American Spectator |title=Hitler's Pope? |date=18 August 2006 |access-date=23 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211203429/http://spectator.org/archives/2006/08/18/hitlers-pope/print |archive-date=11 February 2013}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Romania|Romanian]] Jews from [[Transnistria]] left Romania as a result of his intervention.<ref name=Raoul />
* Italian Jews helped by the Vatican as a result of his interventions.<ref name=Raoul />
* Orphaned children of Transnistria on board a refugee ship that weighed anchor from [[Constanța]] to Istanbul, and later arriving in Palestine as a result of his interventions.<ref name=":0" />
* Jews held at the [[Sereď concentration camp]] who were spared from being deported to German death camps as a result of his intervention.<ref name=":0" />
* [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920-1946)|Hungarian]] Jews who saved themselves through their conversions to Christianity through the baptismal certificates sent by Nuncio Roncalli to the Hungarian Nuncio, Monsignor [[Angelo Rota]].<ref name=Raoul/>

In 1965, the ''[[Catholic Herald]]'' newspaper quoted Pope John XXIII as saying:
{{Blockquote | We are conscious today that many, many centuries of blindness have cloaked our eyes so that we can no longer see the beauty of Thy chosen people nor recognise in their faces the features of our privileged brethren. We realize that the mark of Cain stands upon our foreheads. Across the centuries our brother Abel has lain in blood which we drew, or shed tears we caused by forgetting Thy love. Forgive us for the curse we falsely attached to their name as Jews. Forgive us for crucifying Thee a second time in their flesh. For we know not what we did.<ref>{{cite news|title=Our Eyes Have Been Cloaked |url=http://archive.catholicherald.co.uk/article/14th-may-1965/1/our-eyes-have-been-cloaked|access-date=2 March 2014|newspaper=Catholic Herald|date=14 May 1965 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302203528/http://archive.catholicherald.co.uk/article/14th-may-1965/1/our-eyes-have-been-cloaked |archive-date=2 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Three Popes and the Jews |first=Pinchas |last=Lapide |author-link=Pinchas Lapide |year=1967 |publisher=Hawthorn}}</ref>}}

On 7 September 2000, the [[International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation]] launched the International Campaign for the Acknowledgement of the humanitarian actions undertaken by Vatican Nuncio Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli for people, most of whom were Jewish, persecuted by the Nazi regime. The launching took place at the Permanent Observation Mission of the [[Holy See and the United Nations|Vatican to the United Nations]], in the presence of [[Vatican Secretary of State|Vatican State Secretary]] Cardinal [[Angelo Sodano]].

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation has carried out exhaustive historical research related to different events connected with interventions of Nuncio Roncalli in favour of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. As of September 2000 three reports have been published compiling different studies and materials of historical research about the humanitarian actions carried out by Roncalli when he was nuncio.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/?en/roncalli/research/summary/introduction.10218.htm |title=Summary of the research work of the International Angelo Roncalli Committee |publisher=The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/?en/roncalli/research/summary/introduction.10218.htm |title=Synopsis of the Angelo Roncalli Dossier |publisher=The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation |date= 1 February 2011}}, submitted to [[Yad Vashem]].</ref>

In 2011, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation submitted a massive file (the Roncalli Dossier) to [[Yad Vashem]], with a strong petition and recommendation to bestow upon him the title of [[Righteous among the Nations]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Eurnekian |first=Eduardo |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/good-pope-joseph/ |title=Good Pope 'Joseph' |newspaper=The Times of Israel |date=3 June 2013 |access-date=23 June 2013}}</ref>

===Relations with Israel===
After 1944, he played an active role in gaining Catholic Church support for the establishment of the [[State of Israel]]. His support for [[Zionism]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zanini |first1=Paolo |title=Angelo Roncalli Nuncio to Paris and the Establishment of the State of Israel |journal=Israel Studies |date=Fall 2017 |volume=22 |issue=3 |page=117 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/664756/pdf |access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref> and the establishment of Israel was the result of his cultural and religious openness toward other faiths and cultures, and especially concern with the fate of Jews after the war. He was one of the Vatican's most sympathetic diplomats toward Jewish immigration to Palestine, which he saw as a humanitarian issue, and not a matter of biblical theology.<ref>Paolo Zanini, "Angelo Roncalli Nuncio to Paris and the Establishment of the State of Israel." ''Israel Studies'' 22.3 (2017): 102–124. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/israelstudies.22.3.05 online]</ref>

===Nuncio===
On 22 December 1944, during [[World War II]], [[Pope Pius XII]] named Roncalli to be the new [[Apostolic Nuncio to France|Apostolic Nuncio to recently liberated France]].<ref>{{Citation |place=Rome, IT |title=Segretaria di stato: Nomina |trans-title=State secretary: names |journal=[[Acta Apostolicae Sedis]] |language=it |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS%2036%20%5B1944%5D%20-%20ocr.pdf |volume=36 |year=1944 |page=342}}</ref> In this capacity he had to negotiate the retirement of [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishops]] who had collaborated with the [[German occupation of France during World War II|German occupying power]].

Roncalli was chosen among several other candidates, one of whom was Archbishop [[Giuseppe Fietta]]. Roncalli met with [[Domenico Tardini]] to discuss his new appointment, and their conversation suggested that Tardini did not approve of it. One curial prelate referred to Roncalli as an "old fogey" while speaking with a journalist.<ref>{{Citation |first=Peter |last=Hebblethwaite |title=John XXIII, Pope of the Council |edition=rev |publisher=Harper Collins |place=Glasgow |year=1994 |pages=200–201}}</ref>

Roncalli left Ankara on 27 December 1944 on a series of short-haul flights that took him to several places, such as [[Beirut]], [[Cairo]] and Naples. He ventured to Rome on 28 December and met with both Tardini and his friend [[Pope Paul VI|Giovanni Battista Montini]]. He left for France the next day to commence his newest role.<ref>{{Citation |first=Peter |last=Hebblethwaite |title=John XXIII, Pope of the Council |edition=rev |publisher=Harper Collins |place=Glasgow |year=1994 |page=200}}</ref> In November 1948, he went for his yearly retreat to the [[En-Calcat Abbey]] in Southern France.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Roncalli |first1=Angelo Giuseppe |title=Journal of a Soul |date=9 July 2000 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-567-12306-0 |page=132 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oSCr4lQbl30C |access-date=1 March 2024 |language=en}}</ref>