Eugenio Pacelli's 1936 visit to the United States
Encyclopedia
Eugenio Pacelli visited the United States for two weeks in October-November 1936 as Cardinal Secretary of State
and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. At the time, Pacelli was the highest ranking Catholic official ever to visit the US. Although he did not visit the US as Pope, he was the first Pope who visited the US at any time in his life.
Pacelli met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt
, investigated Roosevelt's radio critic Rev. Charles Coughlin
, and visited New York City
, Washington, D.C.
, Boston
, and Chicago
. The media nicknamed Pacelli "The Flying Cardinal" due to his five-day coast-to-coast air tour. Pacelli planned to silence Coughlin for Roosevelt in exchange for his support against Communism and, more importantly, in an attempt to achieve diplomatic recognition of the sovereignty of Vatican City
.
Monsignor Giuseppe Pizzardo
, the Secretary of Extraordinary Affairs, served as acting Secretary of State during Pacelli's absence. Pope Pius XI
also cut short his vacation at Castel Gandolfo
to return to the Vatican during Pacelli's absence.
It was customary for Pacelli to take an annual vacation, and he changed his plans from Switzerland
at the last moment. According to the New York Times, no secretaries or officials accompanied Pacelli, only Enrico Galeazzi, his gentleman-in-waiting and a Vatican City architect. In fact, the New York Times merely failed to report the presence of Sister Pascalina Lehnert, the secretary and confidant of Pacelli since the time of his nunciature to Germany
.
Pacelli left Naples
on October 1 aboard Italian liner Conte di Savoia, joined by Fulvio Suvich, the Italian ambassador to the US, and Prince Marcello Gentili del Drago, the secretary of the embassy. Other passengers included Bishop Hugh Lamb of Philadelphia, Marchesa Della Chiuse, Count Lanfranco Rasponi, Dr. and Mrs. Robert Nelson Page, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Cole, W.J. Strassburger, Mr. and Mrs. Erasmus M. Cravath, Major and Mrs. Eric Loder, Mr. C. R. Enos.New York Times. 1936, October 8. "Ocean Travelers". p. 21.
In New York, Pacelli was the guest at the Manhasset, Long Island
home of the widow of Nicholas F. Brady
, one of New York's wealthiest public utility directors and financiers, a large papal donor in her own right, she was created a Dame of Malta and a papal Duchess. While in New York, Pacelli met with Nicholas Murray Butler, the president of Columbia University
, and celebrated a pontifical mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral
.
Pacelli returned to New York on October 15, before heading to Philadelphia. Coughlin was in Boston at the same time as Pacelli, but the two did not meet.
. Pacelli spent two days in Philadelphia before returning to Long Island for the remainder of the week.
, National Catholic Welfare Congress, Mount Vernon
, and Georgetown University
the next day. His speech before the National Press Club was broadcast.
. Accompanying Pacelli on the plane were Bishop Spellman, Basil Harris, the VP of United States Lines
, Galeazzo, Cavenaugh, Kelly, and one of Mrs. Brady's advisers. The cities included were: South Bend, Indiana
, Chicago
, St. Paul, Minnesota, San Francisco, Los Angeles
, St. Louis, Cincinnati Syracuse, New York and New York City
.
In South Bend, Pacelli received an honorary doctorate from Notre Dame University.New York Times. 1936, October 26. "Papal Aide Gets Notre Dame Honor". p. 18. In Chicago, Pacelli met Cardinal George Mundelein. With the United States presidential election, 1936
impending, the Vatican made clear that it disapproved of the anti-Roosevelt rhetoric of Coughlin, a Catholic priest, making clear that Pacelli was gathering information on him.
Arriving finally in New York, Pacelli said Mass at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola and received another honorary doctorate from Fordham University
.
On November 5, Pacelli finally met with Roosevelt at the president's home in Hyde Park, New York
for two hours over lunch. Pacelli congratulated Roosevelt on his election victory the previous day. At a press conference with reporters, Spellman reiterated to the press corps that they were prohibited from asking any questions about Coughlin, which he assured them Pacelli would not answer.
, which was waiting at Pier 59 on November 6. Pacelli arrived back in Rome on November 14, where he was immediately received by Pius XI to detail his visit.
shared a special relationship". Not only did Pacelli travel with Italy's new ambassador, Fulvio Savich, but the two became close companions during the lengthy voyage. At the wishes of Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano
, Mussolini's son-in-law, Italian consular officials were invited to dine with Pacelli when he joined the Cardinals of Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago.
In their meeting, Pacelli secured from Roosevelt a promise to appoint a US representative to the Holy See. No such diplomatic link had existed since 1870, when the Risorgimento seized the territories of the Papal States
, all but ending the papacy's temporal power. The Senate had withdrawn the stipend for such a diplomat in 1867, seeing little value in maintaining the outpost. Roosevelt appointed an informal "personal envoy", which did not require Senate approval. By the time of the meeting, the Senate opposition was primarily rooted in Protestant objections, rather than cost. Roosevelt did not fulfill his promise until December 1939, when he appointed Myron Charles Taylor
as his personal representative to Pius XII
; Taylor's appointment was renewed by Truman and lasted until 1950.
The Wartime Correspondence Between President Roosevelt and Pope Pius XII were published in 2005 with the foreword and notes of Taylor.
Both Pius XII's defenders and critics have implied the existence of a deal between Pacelli and Roosevelt to silence Father Charles Coughlin
, the leading Catholic critic of the New Deal
, in exchange for diplomatic recognition of the Vatican. According to Cornwell, "an unspoken quid pro quo of the visit was an exchange of favors between Pacelli and President Roosevelt. Roosevelt wanted help quelling the Catholic radio priest Father Charles Coughlin, who preached weekly and subversively to an audience of fifteen million Americans". Dalin, otherwise a critic of Cornwell, is content to repeat the claim that Pacelli played a "behind-the-scenes role in silencing" Coughlin, for his own part wishing to emphasize Coughlin's personal anti-Semitism.
Indeed, on November 8, shortly after Pacelli's departure, Coughlin announced that he was making his final radio broadcast. Of course, it remains unclear what, if anything, Pacelli might have said to Coughlin to induce such a change. Although Dalin claims that Coughlin's (and thus Pacelli's) role on the United States presidential election, 1936
was potentially decisive, Roosevelt's victory was in fact a foregone landslide (carrying every state but Maine and Vermont).
Cardinal Secretary of State
The Cardinal Secretary of State—officially Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope—presides over the Holy See, usually known as the "Vatican", Secretariat of State, which is the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia...
and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. At the time, Pacelli was the highest ranking Catholic official ever to visit the US. Although he did not visit the US as Pope, he was the first Pope who visited the US at any time in his life.
Pacelli met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, investigated Roosevelt's radio critic Rev. Charles Coughlin
Charles Coughlin
Father Charles Edward Coughlin was a controversial Roman Catholic priest at Royal Oak, Michigan's National Shrine of the Little Flower church. He was one of the first political leaders to use radio to reach a mass audience, as more than thirty million tuned to his weekly broadcasts during the...
, and visited New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The media nicknamed Pacelli "The Flying Cardinal" due to his five-day coast-to-coast air tour. Pacelli planned to silence Coughlin for Roosevelt in exchange for his support against Communism and, more importantly, in an attempt to achieve diplomatic recognition of the sovereignty of Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
.
Monsignor Giuseppe Pizzardo
Giuseppe Pizzardo
Giuseppe Pizzardo was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation for Seminaries and Universities from 1939 to 1968, and Secretary of the Holy Office from 1951 to 1959...
, the Secretary of Extraordinary Affairs, served as acting Secretary of State during Pacelli's absence. Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
also cut short his vacation at Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo is a small Italian town or comune in Lazio that occupies a height overlooking Lake Albano about 15 miles south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills. It is best known as the summer residence of the Pope. It is an Italian town with the population of 8834...
to return to the Vatican during Pacelli's absence.
Arrival
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
at the last moment. According to the New York Times, no secretaries or officials accompanied Pacelli, only Enrico Galeazzi, his gentleman-in-waiting and a Vatican City architect. In fact, the New York Times merely failed to report the presence of Sister Pascalina Lehnert, the secretary and confidant of Pacelli since the time of his nunciature to Germany
Nunciature of Eugenio Pacelli
Eugenio Pacelli was nuncio in Munich to Bavaria from April 23, 1917 to June 23, 1920. As there was no nuncio to Prussia or Germany at the time, Pacelli was, for all practical purposes, the nuncio to all of the German Empire....
.
Pacelli left Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on October 1 aboard Italian liner Conte di Savoia, joined by Fulvio Suvich, the Italian ambassador to the US, and Prince Marcello Gentili del Drago, the secretary of the embassy. Other passengers included Bishop Hugh Lamb of Philadelphia, Marchesa Della Chiuse, Count Lanfranco Rasponi, Dr. and Mrs. Robert Nelson Page, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Cole, W.J. Strassburger, Mr. and Mrs. Erasmus M. Cravath, Major and Mrs. Eric Loder, Mr. C. R. Enos.New York Times. 1936, October 8. "Ocean Travelers". p. 21.
New York
Pacelli arrived in New York on October 8 and first met with Cardinal Patrick Joseph Hayes and Apostolic Delegate Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, along with many other Catholic bishops, clergy members, and prominent layment. Pacelli delivered a brief and vague prepared statement to reporters and brushed off questions about Coughlin and potential diplomatic recognition of the Vatican. Before Pacelli had even met with Coughlin, all of the candidates of Coughlin's Union party withdrew their candidacy for New York public office; rumors circulated that Pacelli's visit was related to their withdrawals.In New York, Pacelli was the guest at the Manhasset, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
home of the widow of Nicholas F. Brady
Nicholas F. Brady
Nicholas Frederick Brady was United States Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and is also known for articulating the Brady Plan in March 1989.-Early life:...
, one of New York's wealthiest public utility directors and financiers, a large papal donor in her own right, she was created a Dame of Malta and a papal Duchess. While in New York, Pacelli met with Nicholas Murray Butler, the president of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and celebrated a pontifical mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
.
Boston
Pacelli was accompanied by Bishop Francis Spellman (future Cardinal) to Boston on October 12. Spellman was a trusted friend and reliable fundraiser for Pacelli; the Bishop had boarded the ocean liner even before Pacelli disembarked to offer him a set of secular-style clothing which was refused. Despite the best efforts of Cardinal O'Connell, Spellman's superior, Spellman had in fact organized most of the trip himself.Pacelli returned to New York on October 15, before heading to Philadelphia. Coughlin was in Boston at the same time as Pacelli, but the two did not meet.
Philadelphia
In Philadelphia, Pacelli met with Cardinal Dennis Joseph DoughertyDennis Joseph Dougherty
Dennis Joseph Dougherty was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1918 until his death in 1951, and was created a cardinal in 1921.-Early life and education:...
. Pacelli spent two days in Philadelphia before returning to Long Island for the remainder of the week.
Washington, D.C.
As early as October 17, Vatican sources announced that a meeting with President Roosevelt would take place, but denied that Coughlin would be discussed. Pacelli spent the night of October 21 in the capital, dining with the Apostolic Delegate, and visiting the Catholic University of America, the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, National Catholic Welfare Congress, Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon
The name Mount Vernon is a dedication to the English Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon. It was first applied to Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington, the first President of the United States...
, and Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
the next day. His speech before the National Press Club was broadcast.
Air tour
Pacelli then embarked on a five-day coast-to-coast air tour covering seven cities, departing from Roosevelt Field on Long Island on a plane chartered from United AirlinesUnited Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
. Accompanying Pacelli on the plane were Bishop Spellman, Basil Harris, the VP of United States Lines
United States Lines
United States Lines was a transatlantic shipping company that operated cargo services from 1921 to 1989, and ocean liners until 1969—most famously the SS United States.-1920s:...
, Galeazzo, Cavenaugh, Kelly, and one of Mrs. Brady's advisers. The cities included were: South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, St. Paul, Minnesota, San Francisco, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, St. Louis, Cincinnati Syracuse, New York and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In South Bend, Pacelli received an honorary doctorate from Notre Dame University.New York Times. 1936, October 26. "Papal Aide Gets Notre Dame Honor". p. 18. In Chicago, Pacelli met Cardinal George Mundelein. With the United States presidential election, 1936
United States presidential election, 1936
The United States presidential election of 1936 was the most lopsided presidential election in the history of the United States in terms of electoral votes. In terms of the popular vote, it was the third biggest victory since the election of 1820, which was not seriously contested.The election took...
impending, the Vatican made clear that it disapproved of the anti-Roosevelt rhetoric of Coughlin, a Catholic priest, making clear that Pacelli was gathering information on him.
Arriving finally in New York, Pacelli said Mass at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola and received another honorary doctorate from Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
.
Meeting with Roosevelt
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
for two hours over lunch. Pacelli congratulated Roosevelt on his election victory the previous day. At a press conference with reporters, Spellman reiterated to the press corps that they were prohibited from asking any questions about Coughlin, which he assured them Pacelli would not answer.
Departure
Pacelli met with Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia and former Governor Alfred E. Smith before departing on the SS Conte di SavoiaSS Conte di Savoia
SS Conte di Savoia was an Italian ocean liner built in 1932 at the Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Trieste.Conte di Savoia was originally ordered for the Lloyd Sabaudo line, however, after a merger with the Navigazione Generale Italiana, the ship was completed for the newly formed Italia Flotte...
, which was waiting at Pier 59 on November 6. Pacelli arrived back in Rome on November 14, where he was immediately received by Pius XI to detail his visit.
American perceptions of Fascism
According to D'Agostino, "historians have neglected to consider how Pacelli's visit communicated to observers that the Holy See and Fascist ItalyItalian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
shared a special relationship". Not only did Pacelli travel with Italy's new ambassador, Fulvio Savich, but the two became close companions during the lengthy voyage. At the wishes of Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano
Galeazzo Ciano
Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari was an Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Benito Mussolini's son-in-law. In early 1944 Count Ciano was shot by firing squad at the behest of his father-in-law, Mussolini under pressure from Nazi Germany.-Early life:Ciano was born in...
, Mussolini's son-in-law, Italian consular officials were invited to dine with Pacelli when he joined the Cardinals of Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago.
Vatican-US relations
In their meeting, Pacelli secured from Roosevelt a promise to appoint a US representative to the Holy See. No such diplomatic link had existed since 1870, when the Risorgimento seized the territories of the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
, all but ending the papacy's temporal power. The Senate had withdrawn the stipend for such a diplomat in 1867, seeing little value in maintaining the outpost. Roosevelt appointed an informal "personal envoy", which did not require Senate approval. By the time of the meeting, the Senate opposition was primarily rooted in Protestant objections, rather than cost. Roosevelt did not fulfill his promise until December 1939, when he appointed Myron Charles Taylor
Myron Charles Taylor
Myron Charles Taylor was one of the major figures in American life during the first half of the twentieth century...
as his personal representative to Pius XII
Foreign relations of Pope Pius XII
Foreign relations of Pope Pius XII extended to most of Europe and a few states outside Europe. Pius XII was pope from 1939 to 1958, during World War II and the beginning of the Cold War.- Background :...
; Taylor's appointment was renewed by Truman and lasted until 1950.
The Wartime Correspondence Between President Roosevelt and Pope Pius XII were published in 2005 with the foreword and notes of Taylor.
Coughlin and the 1936 election
Charles Coughlin
Father Charles Edward Coughlin was a controversial Roman Catholic priest at Royal Oak, Michigan's National Shrine of the Little Flower church. He was one of the first political leaders to use radio to reach a mass audience, as more than thirty million tuned to his weekly broadcasts during the...
, the leading Catholic critic of the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
, in exchange for diplomatic recognition of the Vatican. According to Cornwell, "an unspoken quid pro quo of the visit was an exchange of favors between Pacelli and President Roosevelt. Roosevelt wanted help quelling the Catholic radio priest Father Charles Coughlin, who preached weekly and subversively to an audience of fifteen million Americans". Dalin, otherwise a critic of Cornwell, is content to repeat the claim that Pacelli played a "behind-the-scenes role in silencing" Coughlin, for his own part wishing to emphasize Coughlin's personal anti-Semitism.
Indeed, on November 8, shortly after Pacelli's departure, Coughlin announced that he was making his final radio broadcast. Of course, it remains unclear what, if anything, Pacelli might have said to Coughlin to induce such a change. Although Dalin claims that Coughlin's (and thus Pacelli's) role on the United States presidential election, 1936
United States presidential election, 1936
The United States presidential election of 1936 was the most lopsided presidential election in the history of the United States in terms of electoral votes. In terms of the popular vote, it was the third biggest victory since the election of 1820, which was not seriously contested.The election took...
was potentially decisive, Roosevelt's victory was in fact a foregone landslide (carrying every state but Maine and Vermont).