Pius, who ruled from 1922 until his death in 1939, pushed hard to integrate Christianity into everyday life. He argued that the claims of the church were so basic, and so life-changing if really believed, that no aspect of society should go unaffected.

There are rumors that Pius' death was a murder. Although his health had been failing for quite some time, he planned to make a speech vehemently denouncing Fascism and Mussolini. Remember: this is in 1939, in the center of Italy. The day before the speech was to be given, his doctor gave him an unidentified injection - and Pius died shortly thereafter.