Pope Pius XI

Since the 19th century communism was a sentenced heresy. But there were only two curials in the early 20th century who made personal contact with communism: Achille Ratti, the later Pope Pius XI, as Nuncio in Poland and Eugenio Pacelli as Nuncio in Munich, the later Pope Pius XII. Their attitude vis à vis the fascist and national-socialist movements in Italy and Germany in the 1920s and 1930s was much more conciliatory than their attitude vis à vis communism. While Ratti and Pacelli were not able to find a modus vivendi with the communist regime in the Soviet Union they negotiated the Lateran Treaty with Mussolini and the Reichskonkordat with Hitler. On the basis of both new documentary evidence mostly drawn from the Pacelli-edition and knowledge of psychology and biographical theories the article discusses the question to what extend those experiences were imprinting and influenced their anticommunism as Popes.

Monsignor Achille Ratti, the future Pope Pius XI, was from 1918 to 1921 the first the Apostolic Visitador and then the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Poland. During his stay in the capital of the nascent State of the Second Republic of Poland, Msgr Ratti wrote two volumes of the Diary, that is, he put down every day in black and white in elegant calligraphy so much news that testifies to his activity. The Diary was the main and the only source used in the survey carried out in this article. The research was aimed at re-visiting the relationship between the Commissariat of the Capuchin Friars Minor in Poland, and especially in Warsaw and Msgr Ratti. The Diary clearly shows how, with the passing of the months since his arrival, Ratti became a sure point of reference for the Capuchin friars. His interventions, answers, suggestions, relationships, became more and more characterized by his paternal love for these sons of St Francis. No wonder then that even the friars on their part, and in a special way Blessed Anicetus Koplin, opened up, confiding in Ratti. This relationship undoubtedly was mutual. The confidence with the Capuchins allowed him to understand many complex situations because they arose along the history of the Polish Church, which remained more than one hundred years under the dominion of three powers: Russia, Austria-Hungary and Germany. Undoubtedly, the meeting with the Church of Poland – and in the case of this study with the Polish Capuchins – helped Msgr Ratti to better perform his Petrine ministry, starting from his election in 1922 and for the next seventeen years, during which he, as pope, turned the rudder of Peter's Boat.

The paper aims to set the reception of the Encyclical Mit brennender Sorge in the larger context of the declarations and the activities of the catholic Church towards Spain during the Civil War (1936-1939). This official doctrinal document and its reception in Spain can help to show – and assess – the attitude not only of the Vatican, but also of the Spanish Church in some of her main authorities, towards Germany, Nazism, Francisco Franco and the Falange Española in the first months of war (before the bombing of Gernika in April 1937).

The works of Guido da Verona were proscribed in the Index of Prohibited Books in 1920, thus receiving unexpected publicity from the Vatican’s ban. In 1930, on the contrary, the controversies which followed the publication of the irreverent parody of Alessandro Manzoni’s I promessi sposi marked the rapid decline of Da Verona’s career. This essay discusses Guido da Verona’s struggle with both ecclesiastical and fascist censorship, thus highlighting the effects of book forbiddance on the Italian literary canon of the early twentieth century and of its impact on the definition of an Italian national literature. Finally, the article reflects on the central role played by book censorship in the context of the tense political relationship between Pius XI and Mussolini in the wake of the Concordat of 1929.

W ocenie autora analiza papieskiego nauczania społecznego w kwestii godności człowieka i dobra wspólnego upoważnia do stwierdzenia, że  wymienione kategorie, poczynając od enuncjacji Leona XIII do wypowiedzi Jana Pawła II stanowią fundament na którym wspiera się cała papieska nauka społeczna. W pełni uzasadniony jest pogląd głoszący, że zasadnicze tezy nauczania papieskiego o godności człowieka i dobru wspólnym wskazał jego twórca - Leon XIII.
W oparciu o idee dignitas humana i bonum commune papieska nauka społeczna rozważa i rozstrzyga całe spektrum fundamentalnych zagadnień dotyczących religii, moralności, filozofii, kultury, prawa, polityki, a nawet ekologii. W nauczaniu papieskim dostrzec można próbę wprowadzenia do dyskursu publicznego, w kontekście ludzkiej godności i dobra wspólnego, takich klasycznych idei i wartości jak: prawda, dobro, sumienie, miłość czy cnota.
Ludzką godność i dobro wspólne w nauczaniu papieskim potraktował autor kumulatywnie, uważa on bowiem, że obie te kategorie często występują łącznie, wzajemnie się stymulują i dopełniają. Niekiedy wręcz trudno jest rozpatrywać je alternatywnie, jakkolwiek zdajemy sobie sprawę, że możliwy jest konflikt pomiędzy tymi wartościami. Dobro wspólne pojmowane w zgodzie z nauczaniem papieskim chroni i wzmacnia ludzką godność i vice versa, działania na rzecz godności człowieka chronią dobro wspólne i wspierają jego rozwój.
W przekonaniu autora, kategorie dignitas humana i bonum commune stanowią fundament papieskiego nauczania społecznego. Papieże, od Leona XIII poczynając, a na Janie Pawle II kończąc, nieustannie odwoływali się do tych idei. Z tych powodów uważa on, że papieskie poglądy w na temat analizowanych koncepcji stanowią spójną i w pełni przemyślaną konstrukcję, którą charakteryzują dwie znamienne cechy:  ciągłość i trwanie oraz swoista ewolucja.

Abstract: The encyclical „Mit brennender Sorge“: Zollschan, Pacelli and the Divine Word Missionaries – This study examines three new findings from the Roman archives that places the encyclical “Mit brennender Sorge” in the context of the Roman curia’s racial debate. Focusing on the environment of State Secretary Eugenio Pacelli, the following concepts are scrutinized: 1. The Austrian Jewish physician Ignaz Zollschan (1877–1948) gave the decisive impetus for a rescript against Nazi racism, published on April 13, 1938 by the Congregation of Studies. 2. Pacelli took over the phrase used for the title of the encyclical “Mit brennender Sorge” from Josef Grendel (1878–1951), the General Superior of the Divine Word Missionary Order. 3. A study combating the evolutionary theory, provided by the Austrian ethnologist Wilhelm Schmidt SVD (1868–1954) in October 1936 for the Holy Office, was used as a draft text for the planned encyclical against racism that was never published.

Pie XI apocalyptique : l'association des deux termes peut surprendre, mais comme elle surprend souvent lorsqu'on associe l'adjectif à un pape. Pourtant, puisque le Christ eut des discours eschatologiques et traverse l'Apocalypse comme vivant ou comme agneau, faut-il s'étonner que le disciple ne soit pas plus différent du maître ? D'ailleurs, seuls ceux qui ne lisent pas sérieusement les papes, ou qui euphémisent ce qu'ils lisent, ignorent l'apocalyptique papale contemporaine, alors qu'elle est abondante, de Pie IX à François, à tel point qu'il ne serait pas inintéressant de relire l'histoire de la papauté des xix e et xx e siècles selon ce critère. Aussi est-ce sans complexes aucuns que je suivrai Pie XI du 14 mars 1937 au 10 février 1939, partant de Mit brennender Sorge avant d'embrasser ensuite ce qui, ultérieurement, relève de l'apocalyptique.

Práce představuje přehled církevních nařízení o posvátné hudbě v časovém období od papeže Pia X. (1903) až po II. vatikánský koncil (1962-1965). Především budou představeny tři důležité dokumenty týkající se posvátné hudby: motu proprio Tra le sollecitudini Pia X. z 22. listopadu 1903; apoštolská konstituce Divini cultus Pia XI. z 20. prosince 1928; a encyklika Musicae sacrae disciplina Pia XII. z 25. prosince 1955. Tato nařízení budou reflektována v kontextu českých zemí a chrámové hudební praxe té doby.

The church sacred music legislation and its reception in the Czech lands from Tra le sollecitudini up to the Second Vatican Council

The thesis presents an overview of church legislation of sacred music in the period from the pope Pius X (1903) up to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Firstly three important documents on the subject of sacred music will be shown: the Motu proprio Tra le sollecitudini of Saint Pius X, Nov. 22, 1903; the Apostolic constitution Divini cultus of Pius XI, Dec. 20, 1928; and the encyclical Musicae sacrae disciplina of Pius XII, Dec. 25, 1955. These regulations will be reflected in the context of the Czech lands and church musical practice of that time.

Bislang liegen über Wilhelm Schmidts SVD Exilzeit nur ordensinterne Publikationen vor. In Rom hat sich allerdings seine bislang unberücksichtigte wissenschaftliche Korrespondenz erhalten. Dieser Vortrag bietet einen ersten Einblick, welche ethnologische Kontakte Schmidt in seiner Exilzeit unterhielt.

Ottant’anni fa, il Mahatma Gandhi visitò Roma con il desiderio di incontrare il Papa. Era Mussolini, però, che desiderava incontrarlo. Voleva cogliere l’occasione per rafforzare la sua immagine e per promuovere se stesso? Qualunque siano state le sue intenzioni, la storia testimonia gli effetti negativi di quell’incontro per Gandhi e per la marcia dell’India verso la libertà. In questo articolo l’autore ricostruisce questa vicenda intrigante basandosi sugli scritti dei principali soggetti coinvolti, in particolare i diari di Romain Rolland, Mahadev Desai e Gandhi stesso.

The conflict between the secular Mexican state and the Catholic Church, which reached its heights with the Cristero war of 1926-1929, remains one of the least known chapters of Achille Ratti’s pontificate. Since the beginning of the conflict, the Cristero leaders sought to obtain an official endorsement from the Holy See, in order to overcome the resistance of those Catholics unwilling to take up arms against the government. Even after the end of the Cristiada, Pope Pius XI and his Secretary of State Cardinal Pacelli had to mediate between the unwillingness to compromise of many Mexican Catholics and the necessity to preserve religious freedom by means of Vatican Diplomacy. As a result of this confrontation, Pius XI’ Encyclicals on Mexico permit to identify certain underlying tendencies of Vatican politics at the time, with particular reference to the “Just War Theory” and the Holy See’s concrete actions in defending the libertas Ecclesiae.

Mentre l'Europa precipita verso la guerra, mentre l'Italia asseconda le avventure del Duce e la Chiesa assiste al trionfo apparente dei totalitarismi, la Federazione Universitaria Cattolica Italiana (Fuci) prosegue il suo cammino. Nella fedeltà agli ideali di Montini, in piedi davanti alle burrascose vicende del tempo, essa percorre a testa alta i sentieri impervi della mediazione intellettuale. Grazie ad un'accurata analisi dei numeri di "Azione Fucina" dal 1935 al 1940, il volume racconta con passione narrativa e sapiente spirito critico le illusioni, i sogni e le speranze della giovane generazione cattolica destinata a segnare la storia dell'Italia repubblicana.

Thèse préparée en cotutelle sous la direction de Jacques-Olivier Boudon et Daniele Menozzi, soutenue le 24 octobre 2020 devant le jury suivant : Jacques-Olivier Boudon (Sorbonne Université, directeur), Stanislas Jeannesson (Université de Nantes, rapporteur), Marta Margotti (Università degli Studi di Torino), Daniele Menozzi (Scuola Normale Superiore, directeur), Maria Paiano (Università degli Studi di Firenze, rapporteur), Oissila Saaidia (Université Lumière Lyon 2, présidente)
Laboratoire d’accueil : Centre de recherche en histoire du XIXe siècle (EA3550, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne-Sorbonne Université)

Les années 1920 sont marquées par la reprise des relations diplomatiques entre la France et le Saint-Siège. Elles se heurtent à des difficultés en raison d’incompréhensions fondamentales sur les rapports entre les sphères politique et religieuse. Le gouvernement se situe dans une logique de contrôle et cherche à utiliser le catholicisme au service de l’influence française. Le Saint-Siège, de son côté, revendique une pleine autonomie en matière spirituelle. Cela est particulièrement observable au sujet des espaces coloniaux et d’influence française, qui occupent la première place dans les relations France-Saint-Siège. De manière générale, la législation laïque n’y est pas appliquée. Les relations Église-État outremer demeurent très étroites, en particulier dans les espaces où l’autorité française est concurrencée (Afrique du Nord, Proche-Orient, Rhénanie). Pour les missionnaires, l’engagement religieux est intrinsèquement lié à la cause de l’expansion française, même si leurs divergences idéologiques avec les tenants d’une conception laïque et républicaine de la colonisation conduisent à des conflits avec les autorités coloniales. Après la Première Guerre mondiale, le Saint-Siège tente d’imposer un renouvellement profond des stratégies missionnaires, qui s’inscrit dans un double mouvement de centralisation et d’affirmation de l’identité locale des Églises. Ces mesures – en particulier la promotion des clergés autochtones, clef de voûte de la stratégie romaine – suscitent l’hostilité de l’administration coloniale et de certains missionnaires. Rome cherche à émanciper les missions à l’égard des puissances européennes et à rompre l’alliance entre mission et colonisation.

During the 1920s, France and the Holy See resumed diplomatic relations that soon came up against difficulties owing to fundamental misunderstandings about the relationships between political and religious spheres. The government sought to maintain control over religious issues and to use Catholicism so as to serve French influence abroad. For its part, the Holy See claimed complete autonomy in religious matters. This is clearly observed as far as territories belonging to the French colonial empire or under French influence—which were the main preoccupation to France-Holy See relations—are concerned. Secular laws generally didn’t apply to these territories. Church-State relations overseas remained very close, especially in areas where French authority was challenged (North Africa, Middle Est, Rhineland). In the missionaries’ minds, religious commitment was inextricably linked to the support of French expansion; however, the missionaries’ ideological divergences with the supporters of a secular and republican conception of colonization led to conflicts with colonial authorities. After World War I, the Holy See attempted to enforce deeply renewed missionary strategies, aiming both at centralizing and asserting the Churches’ local identity. These measures—particularly the promotion of native clergy, which was the keystone of the Roman strategy—led to hostility from the colonial administration and a number of missionaries. Rome sought to lead the missions to emancipate from European powers and to break the alliance between mission and colonization.

The conflict between the secular Mexican State and the Catholic Church, which reached its heights with the Cristero war of 1926-1929, was one of the most relevant issues in Pius XI’ pontificate. Even after the end of the Cristiada, Pope Pius XI and his Secretary of State Cardinal Pacelli sought to mediate between the unwillingness to compromise of many Mexican Catholics and the necessity to preserve religious freedom by means of Vatican Diplomacy. Based on an analysis of the wider context of Vatican politics, the paper focuses on the ideological and political connections between Mexico and Europe, with particular reference to the ‘Just War Theory’ and the Holy See’s concrete actions in defending the libertas Ecclesiae. With regard to this, the documentation held in the Vatican Archives permits to identify certain underlying tendencies of Vatican politics at the time, such as the rapprochement between the Holy See and the United States.

The essay is dealing with Haushofer’s public diplomacy towards the Vatican between 1934 and 1938. The German specialist in Geopolitics took part to two unofficial “missions” in Rome on behalf of Rudolf Hess, meeting both Pius XI and the Cardinal-Secretary of State Eugenio Pacelli (later Pius XII). Furthermore, he came in contact with the Austrian bishop Alois Hudal, in order to improve the relationship between Holy See and Third Reich. The author takes into account several sources, published contributions, and archive groups (i. a. the personal archive of Karl Haushofer, the Vatican archives, and the archive of German Foreign Ministry), focusing on the reconstruction of aims and outcomes of Haushofer’s activities in Vatican, and considering his unofficial diplomatic role as well as the theoretical background of his geopolitics. A major theme of the article is the relationship between Haushofer and Hudal, and hence the question if the German “geopolitician” should be considered part of the conservative wing of National Socialism that sought to reach a religious peace with the Vatican.

Die Offenheit, mit der Edith Stein in der hier neu aufgelegten Autobiografie „Aus dem Leben einer judischen Familie“ von ihrer Zeit, ihrer Familie und ihrem eigenen Werdegang vor der Taufe in der katholischen Kirche berichtet, steht im Kontrast zum von Hedwig Conrad-Martius berichteten Ausruf Edith Steins „secretum meum mihi“. Auch wenn sie in persönlichen Fragen diskret bleibt, so gibt das Werk einen tiefen Einblick in ihre innere Welt und vieles, was ihren Freunden und Bekannten damals vielleicht verborgen blieb. Es ist deshalb eine besondere Freude, „Aus dem Leben einer jüdischen Familie“ nach der Erstausgabe in Edith Steins Werken (ESW VII) und in der kritischen Edith-Stein-Gesamtausgabe (ESGA 1) in einer neuen Ausgabe vorzulegen, deren Ziel es ist, den Text einer größeren Leserschaft zugänglich zu machen. Die Sinnsuche, gepaart mit einer bedingungslosen Wahrhaftigkeit, erweist sich als roter Faden des Steinschen Texts und als Wegweiser fur die Suchenden unserer Zeit.

The relations between Turkey and Vatican had started to be spoken more frequently after Pope Francis’s visit to Turkey in 2014. Turkey-Vatican relations which were established formally in 1960 embody an important historical past. Formal relations, which were tried to be established substantially during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamit II,-especially to reduce the impact of France over the Catholics and for many other reasons-, were not established due to many different reasons, each different than the other. In this study, we will try to examine the reasons why the Turkish-Vatican relations that started at high friendship level in the second half of the 19th century, hadn’t been realized at formal level until the second half of the 20th century. Furthermore, we will examine the effective factors over these relations both for the Ottoman and the Republic periods. We will also discuss to what degree the Catholics and the Orthodox in Turkey were influential over these relations. In this sense, main part of our work will be within the frame of first-hand sources and documents obtained from the Turkish Republic State Archives.

It presents in a synthetic way the vision that the Roman Pontiffs of the 20th
century have of history as a discipline and of the Church as a historical subject
and object. This perspective has gradually become richer and more profound:
Leo XIII emphasised the interest in knowing the historical truth when faced by
the accusations of liberal anticlerics who try to discredit the Church; Pius XII
developed a relation between the Church and culture from a historical perspective;
Paul VI pointed out the specificity of the history of the Church which makes her
the study of the “transitus Domini” in the world. The image of the Church as
“People of God in transit”, presented by Vatican Council II, facilitates a better
understanding of the historical process that the Church lives thanks to which John
Paul II was able to ask for forgiveness from the Church’s children in the year 2000.

La guerra cristera (o Crìstiada) rappresenta un evento drammatico non solo per il Messico ma per il cattolicesimo universale, protagonista dal 1926 al 1929 di uno sforzo di mobilitazione senza precedenti a sostegno dei cattolici messicani perseguitati dal governo rivoluzionario laicista e anticlericale di Plutarco Elias Calles. In prima linea, sia nel contrastare la "congiura del silenzio" che sembra avvolgere la persecuzione della Chiesa in Messico sia nel favorire la soluzione diplomatica del conflitto armato, è la Santa Sede, i cui archivi permettono oggi di ricostruire le riflessioni e i dubbi che hanno attraversato la Curia di Pio XI, insieme alle decisioni prese dal pontefice e dai suoi collaboratori. Oltre al problema della legittimità del ricorso alle armi contro l'autorità costituita, affrontato dal papa all'insegna del realismo ma al tempo stesso in continuità con la dottrina tradizionale, il conflitto religioso messicano pone all'ordine del giorno altre questioni, come la difficile convivenza delle preesistenti organizzazioni del laicato cattolico con la nuova Azione Cattolica di Pio XI, o come la possibilità di introdurre in Messico il modello statunitense di separazione tra Stato e Chiesa per una effettiva libertà religiosa.