ADSS 1.254 Tardini, Secretariat of State, notes: Preparations for Ribbentrop's visit

ADSS 1.254 Domenico Tardini, Sect State, notes

Reference: AES Germany 774

Location and date: Vatican, 09.03.1940

Summary statement: Preparations for Ribbentrop’s visit on 11.03,1940 done in secret.  Pope dreading the experience.  The meeting must not be exploited for Nazi propaganda.

Language: Italian

Text:

On Monday 11 March, von Ribbentrop will see the Holy Father.  The audience has been prepared secretly for some time.  Through the Prince of Hesse (I believe) (1) and through X (2).  The Holy Father submitted five points as desiderata of the Holy See (all prepared personally by himself and until now unknown to the Office).  The German Government declared that they could form the basis for an understanding.  The Ambassador (3) went yesterday (after all these months) to ask the Cardinal personally for an audience.  He said it would be a courtesy call, without éclat, but with … due honours.  The Holy Father, who had already been fully acquainted with X was very distressed.  He does not place much hope in this visit.  Today the Cardinal (after discussing the subject with me) advised His Holiness to hand Ribbentrop a written note as a précis of the conversation.  This is in order that the audience not be exploited by the Germans – a very likely thing – and to publish one day proof of what the Holy Father has deplored and has requested for the good of the souls and for the fulfilment of his apostolic duty. (4)

Notes: 

(1) Philipp, Landgrave of Hess (1896-1980) acted as an intermediary between Berlin and Rome through his marriage to Princess Mafalda of Savoy (1902-1944). He joined the Nazi Party in 1930 and was a supporter of Hitler until the Nazis turned against the German princely families.  Philipp was arrested in September 1943 and sent to KL Flossenburg.  He was moved several times later in the war until liberation in May 1945. Mafalda was arrested in Rome and eventually sent to KL Buchenwald and made to work in an armament factory where she died during an air raid in August 1944. 

(2) Not identified.

(3) Diego von Bergen (1872-1944), German Ambassador to the Holy See 1920-43.

(4) The documents relating to Ribbentrop’s visit did not concern the international situation, even if the Germans intended to use the visit as a means of consolidating the Berlin-Rome Axis.  The only topic of discussion for the Holy See was the condition of the Church in Germany and Poland.

See also ADSS 2.42: 17.03.1940 Pius XII to Cardinal Adolf Bertram, Breslau; 43: 22.03.1940 Pius XII to Cardinal Michael Faulhaber, Munich.

ADSS 1.88 Pacini to Maglione: tensions among German and Polish Catholics in western Poland

ADSS 1.88 Alfredo Pacini, Charge d’Affaires Warsaw, to Luigi Maglione, Sec State.

Reference: Report 250 (AES 4778/39)

Location and date: Warsaw, 10.07.1939.

Summary statement: Reports of troubles in Germany and in Poland on account of the language used during religious services in the minorities regions.  Bishops have made provisions to this effect.  Stanislaw Adamski (Katowice) has banned the use of German in services in the diocese.

Language: Italian

Text:

I feel it my duty to inform your Eminence about an order given by Bishop Stanislaw Adamski, Bishop of Katowice, regarding the use of the German language in the churches of his diocese (1).

As it is known, in the Archdiocese of Gniezno and Poznan, in the Diocese of Culma [Chelmno] and even more in that of Katowice, there are German speaking communities for which religious services have always been held in German: sung mass, sermons, lectures, catechism etc: for the administration of sacraments there is even more freedom, as not only in the above mentioned Dioceses, but all over Poland all possible languages are used …

This state of affairs has been in force for a long time, and in Article 23 of the Concordat with Poland (2) in the Diocese of Latin rite any change regarding sermons, supplementary prayers and instructions courses without a special authorisation given by the Latin Rite Bishop’s Conference is prohibited.

Now, while in Poland, as Cardinal Hlond assures me, the Bishops had scrupulously followed this prescription, it seems that in Germany – where the Polish speaking populations had the same privilege – this use has in many cases been abandoned; hence protests and threats of reprisals against the Germans in Poland.

These reprisals recently have become so frequent, from both sides, and have taken on such proportions that there was no respect for persons or things or scared places and the very churches become battlefields.  Then Monsignor Adamski, Bishop of Katowice, in whose diocese more than in others these acts were taking place, published a Pastoral Letter in very stern terms at the end of this May, with the hope of remedying these evil practices.  Bishop Adamski writes that this letter brought peace: but others say that “it had the adverse effect”, so that, on 22 June, in a meeting of deacons of his entire Diocese, he gave the order by word of mouth, to stop all religious ceremonies in the German language, permitting it only when giving the sacraments, in funeral services and in public meetings of German organisations.

The reasons given by Bishop Adamski for this order are the following:

1. The clergy complained of the difficulties they were encountering on account of German language ceremonies.

2. The Protestants and other religious sects, using only the Polish language, were vaunting their patriotism against the Catholics who continued to use the German language.

3. The political and nationalist associations were agitating for the exclusive use of the Polish language: if not appeased they would start trouble even inside the churches, as had already happened in many cases.

Not ever twenty-four hours had elapsed since the measures were applied when a letter reached Bishop Adamski from Cardinal Bertram, Archbishop of Wroclaw (3) asking if it was true that the Katowice Curia intended to abolish the use of the German language in the churches of the diocese.  I do not know what Bishop Adamski replied, I only know that the above-mentioned by a decree dates 27 June suspended all Polish devotions, I his large archdiocese, ordering that, in place of sung Mass with Polish hymns and Polish sermon, a low Mass without hymns be introduced.  The decree mentions the possibility of reverting to Polish ceremonies in more serene times.

The reasons put forward by Cardinal Bertram are more or less the same as those given by Bishop Adamski for the suppression of the German language in Poland.  Bishop Adamski, in a second letter written to me on this subject on 01.07.1939 says that, in consideration of the good results produced by his verbal order, he was going to confirm it in writing directly to the clergy, without, however, publishing it in any newspaper or magazine, not even in the Official Bulletin of the Diocese.

Up to now the Nunciature has not received any protest form the German Minorities: it is believed that protests will come from other quarters, but I have no positive information.

Bishop Adamski, who it seems, has mentioned something about this in previous Episcopal Conferences, write to me that he will present the entire question at the next Conference which will probably be held in September: but in the meantime Cardinal Hlond writes to me that he has received requests for the abolition of German in his parishes in Poznania, Kaszczor, Rawicz, Swiecichoa and Miasteczki: this I believe is also the case in the Diocese of Culma.  But it seems that these Bishops do not let themselves be pushed and manage things with the calm which the case requires.

If there are other developments I shall not fail to inform your Eminence.

Notes: 

(1) Stanislaw Adamski (1875-1967), bishop of Katowice 1930-67.

(2) Concordat with Poland, Article 23: “Any change of language used in the Diocese of Latin rite for sermons, prayers, supplementary prayers and instructions, except those of sacred sciences in seminaries, shall be made only by special authorisation given by the Conference of Bishops of the Latin Rite.”  Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 02.06.1925, p283.

(3) Adolf Bertram (1859-1945), Cardinal Archbishop of Wroclaw (Breslau) 1914-45.

ADSS 3.2.522 Orsenigo to Maglione: KL Ravensbruck

This report sent to Rome by Cesare Orsenigo, is one of the few direct references to concentration camps found in ADSS.  It is also the only reference to medical experiments.  It is another dimension of the range of topics covered in Volume 3 of ADSS that is interesting for its decided lack of documentation regarding the persecution of the Jews.  Also of interest is Orsenigo's comment relaying Cardinal Bertram's belief that too many questions about the goings on in the camp would invite unwanted police attention.

ADSS 3.2.522 Cesare Orsenigo, Germany to Maglione

Reference: Report 2561 (52.748), AES 4076/43.

Location and date: Berlin, 15.06.1943

Summary statement: Sends news received of KL Ravensbrück.  News of Polish women in the KL is true.  Cannot confirm rumours of medical experiments.

Language: Italian

Text:

With reference to the dispatch, number 2057/43, of Your Eminence of 2 April last, you instructed me to gather information concerning the treatment, for the purposes of experiments, performed on interned Polish women in Ravensbrück concentration camp in Mecklenburg.

News of the existence of the camp holding Polish women is true.

However it is not possible to confirm information concerning possible treatments contrary to Christian morality. The few trusted Germans with whom I have expressed my doubts very cautiously, given the delicacy of the subject, have concluded that experiments do take place, that they are conducted in an evil manner on the subjects (2).

I was not satisfied, so I cautiously aired a course of enquiry with the episcopate, on the assumption that with a few senior competent people appropriate queries could be made with the Director of the Concentration Camps.  I made my first proposal to his Eminence, Cardinal Adolf Bertram, archbishop of Breslau, but he advised me that such an investigation, even if well presented, would have little chance of success, and would lead the police to conduct a counter-investigation to find out who leaked the news and what documents had been created to make the claims credible.

I will do my best to continue investigating this matter in order to verify the news and then act accordingly.

Notes:

(1) See ADSS 3.2.492

(2) http://individual.utoronto.ca/jarekg/Ravensbruck/Introduction.html

Ravensbrück was opened in November 1938 as the primary concentration camp for women and children.  About 130,000 women and children passed through the camp.  The number of survivors is estimated from15,000 to 32,000.  The largest group of women were Polish.  Medical experiments were conducted from the summer of 1942 onwards.  The Red Army liberated the camp on 30.04.1945.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravensbr%C3%BCck_concentration_camp