Pius XI: The Creation of Vatican City State, and a defiant antifascist Pope, who was also a world class mountain climber.

In this episode of Habemus Papam, Fr. Conrad discusses Pius XI, who succeeded Benedict XV: Peacemaker Pope during the First World War  You can listen to the podcast about him here.

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Born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti in Desio, a province of Milan, on May 31, 1857 to an owner of a silk factory. He obtained three doctorates in philosophy, canon law, and theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. He taught at the seminary in Padua.

On January 22, 1922, Pope Benedict XV died of pneumonia and a conclave ensued to elect the next pope. The conclave elected Ratti on February 6, 1922 and he chose the name Pius XI.

During his pontificate, he opposed the fascist states of Italy and Germany. He secretly published Mit brennender Sorge to oppose Nazism in Germany that all the priests in Germany read during the homily on Palm Sunday 1937.

Additionally, Pius XI negotiated with Benito Mussolini to establish the Vatican City State as it is today.

He died on February 10, 1939 of a heart attack. Pope Pius XII succeeded him.