Pope Pius XII led the Catholic Church from 1939 to 1958 – years that coincided with the Holocaust, World War II and other major historical events. Pius XII has often been called “Hitler’s Pope” (the title of a biography) because of his efforts to keep the Vatican neutral during WWII and his lack of a public condemnation of the Nazis and the Holocaust. His supporters have said Pius XII did much behind the scenes to support the Allies and help the Jewish people, but the condemnations, controversies and conspiracies persist to this day.

That all may change in March when the Vatican’s archives on Pope Pius XII are supposed to be unsealed. While many are waiting to learn the truth about Pius XII and his WWII stance, many more are hoping the archives have secret details of his suppression of the Third Secret of Fatima, his own alleged sighting of the same “miracle of the sun,” and the alleged secret Vatican archives of files on UFOs and aliens.

“The opening of the archives is decisive for the contemporary history of the church and the world.”

The opening of the Vatican archives n Pius XII is a big deal for the Catholic Church, according to Cardinal Jose Tolentino Calaca de Mendonca, the church’s archivist and librarian. It’s probably tied to the fact than Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is a big fan of Pius XII and is pushing for his canonization, an act that is an affront to many Jews who believe he was Hitler’s pope, or at least could have done more to lead the Church in condemning the Nazis and the Holocaust. It’s expected to happen on March 2, unless someone gets cold feet.

Pius XII Is controversial for other reasons and many hope the archives will clear some things up. For example, many Catholics were expecting the Third Secret of Fatima to be revealed as promised in 1960. However, it’s alleged that Pius XII privately opened the letter in the late 1950s, read it, wept bitterly for two days, ordered the letter to not be revealed, and then died a short time later. When it was finally revealed in 2000 and was not a blockbuster (although it seemed to predict the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II), many accused the Vatican of holding parts of the letter back to suppress something really bad.

Another Fatima controversy involving Pius XII occurred in 1950. According to rumors later backed up by a handwritten account signed by the pope (but written by the priest he told it to) and revealed in 2008, Pius XII claimed he also witnessed a “miracle of the sun” on four separate days. He claimed he was able to stare at the sun unharmed and watched is move around the sky. While he didn’t call it a miracle, the cardinals he told it to attested that he really believed he had seen the same phenomenon – an event some say was an unusual weather anomaly while a few believe it was a UFO.

Speaking of UFOs, in a 2008 interview, Fr. José Gabriel Funes, an Argentine Jesuit priest and astronomer who was Director of the Vatican Observatory from 2006 to 2015, stated that the possible existence of intelligent extraterrestrials did not contradict any church teachings, that denying the existence of aliens would be like “putting limits” on God’s creative freedom, and even theorized that aliens could be “free from Original Sin” – eliminating a need to be baptized. This led many to wonder if the Vatican files already had evidence of UFOs and aliens. Could that evidence include what Pius XII really witnessed on his Vatican garden walks?

Yes, that’s a lot to expect from the secretive Catholic Church. On the other hand, this is happening under the auspices of Pope Francis, who prides himself on his transparency and is trying to make a name for himself despite interference by Pope Emeritus Benedict. Could this be an opportunity for Francis to steal the spotlight and reveal more on UFOs and aliens than even the British government?

If that happens, this March will truly come in like a lion.