ADSS 1.144 Montini & Tardini notes: French ask for Papal Statement for Poland

ADSS 1.144 Giovanni Montini & Domenico Tardini, Secretariat of State, notes

Reference: AES 6822/39

Location and date: Vatican, 28.08.1939

Summary statement: French Ambassador requests declaration from Pope for Poland; Pope says this would be too much – 40 million German Catholics – too much danger for them!  Pope has already expressed himself clearly. (1)

Language: Italian

Text:

The French Ambassador sends the following article. (2)

He adds this morning verbally that a word of a public gesture of the Holy See in favour of Poland would be very opportune, before she enters into the great trial which faces her.

His Holiness says that this would be too much.  We should not forget that in the Reich there are 40,000,000 Catholics.  To what might they not be exposed after such action by the Holy See!  The Pope has already expressed himself and clearly. (3)

Notes:

(1) The first paragraph was a typed noted of Montini; the second a handwritten note of Tardini. 

(2) François Charles-Roux (1879-1961), French Ambassador to the Holy See 1932-40.  Article was Georges Goyau Papauté et Pologne, Le Figaro 25.08.1939.

(3) D’Arcy Osborne, the British minister to the Holy See, received the same answer, which he passed on to the UK Government. DBFP, Series 3, Volume 7, n611, pp452-453.