| Show pope pius X XII II 11 diplomat and brings modern statecraft to vatican unchanged foreign policy expected under ne new pontiffs reign by JOSEPH W labine in no living mans memory had a pope been chosen in 24 hours many years had passed since all 62 cardinals walked into the secret conclave from which one must emerge supreme pontiff in less urgent times some of the sacred college might be absent most important not since the resolute monk hildebrand was elected pope gregory VII in 1073 had a papal secretary of state become the vicar of christ but it was no accident that the roman catholic church presented a solid front or that its college of cardinals acted quickly to choose eugenio cardinal pacelli statesman and as pius XII in a day that demands strong men the church could find none stronger none better fitted by experience and instinct to carry on with greater emphasis the policies of international statecraft which first found expression under the late pius XI since 1929 the new pope has engineered vatican foreign policy from behind scenes as papal secretary of state since 1917 when benedict XV sent him to war torn germany in a vain peace gesture eugenio pacelli has been what any nation but the vatican would term a career diplomat comes from vatican family forty years ago pius XII disregarded a century old family tradition which has made the pacelli family esteemed members of the old vatican aristocracy his grandfather was undersecretary of the interior from 1851 to 1870 his father was an attorney at the papal court as his brother francesco is today in 1917 came the appointment as papal nuncio to germany a peacemaking effort which failed but so impressed the former kaiser wilhelm that he devoted a full chapter in his memoirs to the future cardinal and pope from this first diplomatic role it was but a short step to re establishment of relations between the vatican and protestant germany in 1924 the nuncios nun cios seven year german mission was cli N 1 4 pius XII is the first supreme pontiff to have flown above photo was taken as he stepped from an airliner at burbank calif in 1936 s V THE POPE IN AMERICA pope pius XII new head of the roman catholic church when as eugenio eugenia cardinal Cardin nl pacelli he spoke at catholic university in washington during his visit in 1936 maced by the famous concordat returning to rome pacelli was made cardinal the subsequent years have been far from happy for the vatican or its chief diplomat early in 1929 the agreement with italy allowed pius XI to end his voluntary exile in vatican city since then old treaties have been renewed with austria germany and yugoslavia while rumania signed a new pact and though cardinal pacelli could take heart from these accomplishments ments he must have frowned over less happy developments which placed the catholic church diametrically opposite the antichrist anti christ spec tres of totalitarianism in its sundry forms under adolf hitler the church has suffered first in germany and later in austria in both italy and germany there have arisen neo pagan ism movements for racial purification and persecution of minorities medicos cos religious foundations have been rocked and the spanish civil war came in the eyes of catholics closer than any since the crusades to being a holy war changed attitude se seen a this was initiation under fire but the cardinal rose to his task so well in fact that democracies which had long frowned on the vaticano Vati cans interference now discovered a strong ally for the inevitable showdown with dictators no nation an can claim the vaticano Vati cans political support against another nation but the spiritual influence of catholic upon catholic as voiced through the pope is a potent force in the twentieth century battle be tween christianity and paganism england cannot forget this nor has hitler forgotten it if we may believe his reported comment on the new pope several years ago 11 it II the pope then plus pius XI who is making all the trouble for germany he is too old and sick for such affairs it is cardinal pacelli it is cardinal pacelli lil there is still another lesson in the choice of a papal diplomat one of the catholic churchs churche proudest stories concerns the aforementioned monk hildebrand last secretary ol 01 state to become pope As gregory VII he too had trouble with a german ruler the last pope who felt he must obtain imperial ratification for his election gregory was blocked by germanys germanas Germ anys emperor henry IV gregory had demanded that henry cease dictatorial rule over the catholic church in germany henry replied by summoning several high german prelates pr elates and declaring gregory deposed emperor finally absolved this game ended when gregory publicly absolved henrys subjects of allegiance to him the climax came when gregory stopping at the castle of canossa on his trip northward into germany kept henry waiting barefoot in the snow for three days dressed as a penitent finally he granted absolution and henrys authority was restored rome and berlin may not be led to canossa by pius XII but this modern counterpart of gregory VII includes both italy and germany among his problems A popes chief duty naturally is to maintain the catholic religion where it already has root and to evangelize it in new lands but this is an age where extraordinary duties sometimes seem more vital at the moment catholics and protestants alike recognize their need for a united christian front whereas pius XI described himself as a library mouse the new pontiff has led a more worldly life As cardinal legate he traveled through the united states and south america on the latter trip he did penitence for the honors heaped on his shoulders by removing the soft mattress from his bed and sleeping on the blanket covered springs thus he exhibited the spirit of humility which catholics believe becomes a great christian on his trip to the united states he crossed the continent by air he thereby becomes the first pope to have hown flown at that tune the new pontiff lunched with president roosevelt and his truly american family so far as is known no previous pope has visited this country and this coupled with the recent date of his visit makes him especially popular here 0 western newspaper union |
