After the outbreak of the Second World War, many had to move and flee their homes to avoid the dramatic consequences of the conflict. Among them, several thousand people decided to ask the Holy See for help to leave their respective countries and Spain was often the place where many of them went: some to stay, while for others it was an intermediate stage on their way to the Americas. The opening of the archives of Pius XII's Pontificate has allowed many scholars to begin analysing these dynamics from the Holy See's point of view and, in particular, the documentation of the funds of the Relief Commission and the Information Office are fundamental to reconstructing the subsequent steps. The main purpose of this work is to analyse the relations between the two states in these years and the role of Vatican organisations in helping European refugees to enable and facilitate their movements. At the same time, the documentation of the Nunciature in Madrid from the period of Gaetano Cicognani
is fundamental to understanding, thanks to the availability of the papers of the Pontificate of Pius XII, the attitude and relations between the Holy See and Spain at that moment of global change that signified the end of the war.