 A special conference of scholars on Pius XII on the 50th anniversary of his death was held in Rome on 15 – 17 September 2008 , by Pave the Way Foundation , a nonsectarian organisation founded by Gary Krupp , a Jewish American , which promotes interfaith cooperation . Pope Benedict XVI held on 19 September 2008 a reception for the conference participants , where he praised Pius XII as a pope who made every effort to save Jews during the war . A second conference was held from 6 – 8 November 2008 by the Pontifical Academy of Life . 
