 Pius XII often elevated young priests as bishops , such as Julius <unk> ( 35 years ) and Karol <unk> ( later Pope John Paul II , 38 years ) , one of his last appointees in 1958 . He took a firm stand against pastoral experiments , such as " worker @-@ priests " , who worked full @-@ time in factories and joined political parties and unions . He continued to defend the theological tradition of <unk> as worthy of continued reform , and as superior to modern trends such as phenomenology or existentialism . 
