Pius XII
VATICAN AND THE POLITICS. Part I
In the Catholic countries, canonization of two former pontiffs
at once — John Paul II and Pius XII — that is prepared
by the Vatican, has caused particularly keen interest in the
historical and political role of the Roman Catholic Church. Especially
heated discussion of this delicate subject started in Poland, where
the authority of the Polish Pope is undisputable while the
simultaneous canonization of Pope Pius XII caused some conflicting
feelings.
From the "Historical wars or the reversed politics"
cycle
Social protest against the canonization of Pope Pius XII gave rise
to the violent discussion subjected not only to the very person
of the saint-to-be but also the whole political activity of the Roman
Catholic Church during the centuries of its existence. Not only
representatives of the priesthood and professional theologists took part
in the debates but also some conspicuous public and state figures,
publicists did — long story short, the debate has turned into the
widespread public discussion. The most surprising aspect of the story
is not the fact that the Polish community is indignant with the
future canonization of Pope Pius XII — who had a rather
controversial reputation — and his becoming the one of Community
of Catholic Saints. It’s almost for the first time when we’re hearing the
voices that condemn the political role of the Catholic Church out
loud.
For example, Wiesław Jaszczyński, well-known Polish public leader —
in 1994-1998 he was the Deputy Health Minister in the government
of Jerzy Buzek, today’s chairman of the European parliament —
said the following: "No mixture in the world can ever
be as dangerous to the humanity as the mix of religion
and politics. Just the bloodiest wars and mass murders — including
Holocaust — are born out of this mixture. History of the Roman
Catholic Church is a striking example of that. During two
thousand years of its existence and profound participation in the
politics many terrible things happened: Crusades, murderous persecutions
of Jews, inquisition, conquer, looting and the forceful conversion
of the South America into the Catholicity. Whole sea of blood
of innocent people has spilled just because of the fact that they
were adherents of a different faith".
Vatican and two world wars
During the colonial era, European countries like France, Germany, Austria,
Spain and Belgium had a special privilege issued by Vatican. They
were allowed to play a role of the original "curators"
of the non-Catholic countries in order to protect the Catholic
part of its population. For example Austria-Hungary was curator
of "Serbia". That manifested itself in the fact that future Catholic
priests — who were to work at the Balkans — studied
in the Hungarian and Austrian seminaries; right to appoint the
episcopate of that country and the right of an armed invasion
to Serbian territory — in case if there was any threat for
the Serbian Catholics — belonged to Austria-Hungary.
However, that was not enough for Vatican. It urged the undivided power
over the Balkans — for more than thousand years it was influenced
by the Orthodox Byzantine Empire and than by the Turkish Muslims who
have turned Constantinople into the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
Alexander I, king of Serbia, died in 1903 in the
assassination attempt that was organized by the army itself —
it was dissatisfied with the pro-Austrian policy of their king. Peter
I Karađorđević, who ascended the Serbian throne, has denied the absolute
power, having strengthened the role of the Parliament and started the
democratic reforms. It didn’t suit Vatican that considered democracy
to be a threat for the Catholicism.
That’s why, in the beginning of 20th century, the plot
of signing the Concordat1 directly with
Serbia was born. Young prelate Eugenio Pacelli, future Pope Pius XII, was
appointed to negotiate with the Serbian government and prepare the text
of the agreement. Negotiations went above the head of Austria which
was a constant "curator" of Serbia. For the Austrian-Hungarian Empire
that was a diplomatic slap in the face. Concordat with Serbia was
signed on the 24th of June, 1914. This accident has dramatically
aggravated the Austrian-Serbian relations. Voices, calling for the more
concrete actions against Serbia, were heard in Vienna. On the 28th
of June, 1914, four days after signing the treaty with Vatican,
nineteen-year-old Serb Gavrilo Princip shot Austrian archduke Ferdinand and his
pregnant wife in Sarajevo. Everybody knows what followed after that —
the First World War.
On the 20th of July, 1933, exactly six months after coming Hitler
to power in Germany, German Reichschancellor signed the Concordat
with Vatican. It was the very same person — Eugenio Pacelli —
who conducted the preliminary negotiations and later signed the agreement
on behalf of Pope. Vatican, without doubt, pursued the object
of the official recognition of the Canonic Right Code by the
German authorities, while Hitler was thinking about quite different things:
"For the new Germany signing Concordat with Vatican means the recognition
of the national-socialistic state by the Catholic Church. This
agreement would show the whole world that the hostility of the
national-socialism towards religion is a lie. Concordat has created
an atmosphere of trust between us and the Church —
it would obtain a peculiar meaning in our merciless fight
against the international Jewry".
Hitler didn’t pioneer the persecution of Jews at all. In 1556,
400 years before him, Pope Paul IY ordered to drive all the Jews out
of Rome into the ghetto on the other side of Tiber River. This
very pontiff was the first person who thought of "marking" the Jews with
the yellow stars on their clothes. In August of 1939, Eugenio
Pacelli, who has already become Pope Pius XII, started to work at the
new world map. He suggested convening an international conference,
which was to be held under the aegis of the Holy See,
in particular, to persuade Poland to accept the well-known
German ultimatum of the "Danzig Corridor". Filipo Cortesi, papal nuncio
in Warsaw, was doing his best influencing the Polish government and trying
to make it accept the Hitler’s claims. On the 1st
of September, 1939 (!) fьhrer — having used the services of the
German ambassador in the Apostolic capital — thanked Pius XII for his
help and said: "For two days I was waiting for the Polish representative
to come out with the peaceful proposals of solving the Polish-German
conflict. As in response to out peaceful initiatives, Poland has
conducted general mobilization. All the more, yesterday Poles have violated our
border again, this time using its regular troops".
This was more than just an odd role, which Pope Pius XII has played
in the history of the Second World War. Jуzef Beck, Polish Minister
of Foreign Affairs of the pre-war period, who had to escape from
the Hitler’s invasion to Romania, estimated this role in the
following way: "Vatican is responsible for the tragedy
of my country to the great degree. It was too late
when I understood that our foreign policy almost solely served the
egoistic purposes of the Roman Catholic Church".
Gott mit uns
It is a commonly known fact that this inscription stood
conspicuously at the belt buckles of the Hitler’s soldiers. Having
started his crusade to the East, Hitler has enlisted the Vatican’s
blessing. Slogan "God is with us" is some sort
of a reference to the crusaders’ traditions who were converting
the Slavs into the "true" faith with fire and sword. Role of the Catholic
Church during the Second World War was rather distinctively shown in the
German feature film "Stalingrad" that was filmed in 1992, having grounded
on the documentary materials. There’s a following episode
in that movie: chaplain, wearing the Wehrmacht uniform with the cross
on his chest, is saying a mass at the trenches just before
the attack and he says:
"‘God is with us’ — these words are written in the buckles
of the soldiers’ belts. No mission could have been as honorable
as the protection of the Western values in the face
of Bolshevist invasion from the East. That’s why the German soldier,
unlike the Bolsheviks who have no place for God even at their
buckles, can never be completely alone, even if he is deep
into the enemy territory".
I the Soviet and then in the Russian historiography Hitler was
depicted as an atheist who replaced the Christian ideology
of Germany with the fascist, national-socialistic one. In fact such
attempts of the Nazi propaganda really took place but neither Hitler, nor
Goebbels have never forgotten — not for a minute — that Germany
is a country with the ancient Catholic traditions. That’s why the
relationship with Vatican, its support of the Nazism — let
it be the indirect one — played an important role
in the ideological doctrine of fascism. We shouldn’t also forget
the fact that two main Hitler’s allies — Mussolini and Franco — have
also headed the countries with the deep historical Catholic roots.
In the very beginning of the Second World War, German Catholic
bishops addressed the German soldiers with the appeal: "In this historical
moment we ask our Catholic soldiers to be obedient to the
fьhrer’s will and and discharge your warrior’s duty wholeheartedly.
We call for the believers to pray for the Divine disposition
to bring this war to the blessed victory of our Fatherland and
bring peace to its citizens".
Hildesheim bishop Godehard Machens appealed to the Wehrmacht
soldiers, saying: "The war that obliges every single one ouf us —
soldiers and civilians — has started. That is why I’m calling for you
to do your duty for fьhrer, Fatherland and the nation.
Do whatever it would require to fulfill it with full
devotion".
Conrad Grцber, archbishop of Freiburg, has said during the sermon
addressed to the soldiers that were leaving for the front: "Death
is to become your last duty to your Fatherland and the nation.
Heroic death is an honor for the soldier".
On the 30th of September, 1939 all the Catholic churches
of Germany and Austria belled, having honored the victory over Poland.
Their tolls were greeting the death of thousands of the Polish
Catholic soldiers and one fifth part of the Polish Catholic priests.
Despite the constants requests of the Allies — Polish and French
governments in particular — Pius XII kept silence and didn’t condemn
the German aggression. Franзois Charleroi, French ambassador in Vatican,
asked Vatican to choose a distinct attitude towards the German
actions, having written a letter to monsignor Domenico Tardini who
familiarized Pope with this letter on the same day. Letter of Diego
von Bergen, German ambassador in Vatican, addressed to Ernst Wцrmann,
functionary of the political department of the German Ministry
of Foreign Affairs half-opened the veil of mistery over the
pontiffe’s silence: "Pope’s refusal to take a stand that condemns
Germany fully meets his promise that he gave to me few weeks ago
via his trustee".
On the 19th of September, 1939 Poznań archbishop Hlond who escaped
from the Nazis obtained Pope’s audience and personally informed him of the
Wehrmacht crimes in Poland. Still there was no reaction. Neither was
Pope impressed by the lot of Polish Bishops — Michał Kozal,
Marian-Leon Fulman, Władysław Goral, Leon Wetmański, Kazimierz Tomczak —
who were arrested, tortured and imprisoned at the concentration camps.
Infuriated bishop Radonjic has written then:
"Kościołs2 are defiled or closed, masses
are not said, bishops are repulsed, hundreds of priests are murdered
or arrested, nuns are dishonored, innocent hostages are killed everyday
in front of their own children, people are starving to death and
Pope is keeping silence as though he has nothing
to do with that".
Some Polish bishops have openly cooperated with the Germans. On the 13th
of September, Katowice Bishop Stanisław Adamski addressed the believers
with the pastor’s appeal where he has called them for cooperation with the
occupationa authorities; Kilece Bishop Czeslwa Kaczmarek did the same.
Świętochłowice bishop Teodor Kubina gave Einsatzgruppen the list of all
the Catholic organizations in the neighborhood and names of all
theirs functionaries. Carl Splett, bishop of Danzig, has said the mass
of gratitude, dedicated to the returning of Danzig to the
bosom of its native country. On the 31st of December, 1939 Pius
XII has sent the German ambassador in Vatican "a blessing for the
fьhrer and the amicable German nation", having simultaneously stated that "the
wide-spread opinion that Vatican allegedly opposes the totalitarian regimes
is incorrect. Example of Italy has proved that greater intimacy and
mutual understanding are absolutely possible". On the 11th of March,
1940 Pius XII has given the audience to the Third Reich Foreign Affairs
Minister Joachim Ribbentrop and told him in a friendly way that
"seventeen years that he spent in Germany as the papal nuncio
were the years of his immersion into the German cultural environment and
they became the most beautiful period of his life. That’s why the German
government may be sure that he had always felt and would continue
to feel deep sympathy towards Germany".
There are not just many evedences of the Vatican’s support
of Nazism — there are thousands of them. Their credibility
cannot cause even a shadow of doubt. That’s why contemporary Vatican
that "promotes" the Hitler’s henchman to the Community
of Saints — with the persistence worthy of a better
cause — has started a "covering operation". It is aimed
to prove the good intentions of the Roman pontiffe and depict his
support of the Nazi as a "screen" that was covering the aid
to the victims of Nazism.
By Gregory Tinsky
To be continued
1 Concordat — from Latin «Concordatum» —
treaty, signed between the Pope and the state. It stipulates the legal
status of the Roman-Catholic Church in this state.
2 Kościoł (Pol.) — Polish Catholic church.
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