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TWO
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
MAY 23, 1942
Apostolic Delegate Tells
Story of Pope Pius XH’s
Twenty-Five Years as Bishop
PIUS XII—FROM BOYHOOD TO POPE
In these pictures Eugenio Pacelli is shown at the age of nine; as a young Monsignor attached to the
Sacred Congregation of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, at the Vatican; as an Archbishop, conse
crated May 13, 1917, and as Pope Pius XII, crowned the 261st successor of St. Peter, March 12, 1939.—
(N. C. IV. C.)
By THE MOST REV. AMLETO
GIOVANNI CICOGNANI,
'APOSTOLIC DELEGATE TO
**THE UNITED STATES
(Written for N. C. W. C. News
Service)
Twenty-five years ago, on April
21, 1917, Benedict XV appointed
Monsignor Eugenio Pacelli, then
Secretary of the Sacred Congrega
tion of Extraordinary Ecclesiasti
cal Affairs, as Apostolic Nuncio to
Bavaria at the court of the reign
ing house of Wittelsbach, repre
sented at that time by King Lud
wig, III.
At the same time the elevated
Monsignor Pacelli to the archi-
episcopal dignity, assigning to
him the titular See of Sardes. On
the following May 13th the Holy
Father personally conferred the
fullness of the priesthood on the
new Muncio in the Sistine Chapel,
amiu the majestic solemnity char
acteristic of Papal ceremonies.
THE HORRORS
OF THE FIRST WORLD .WAR
The first world war had been
raging for three years, and the
Pope was wholly absorbed in the
grave and ever-increasing prob
lems of that scourge.
With perfect impartiality to
wards all the belligerents, as be
comes the common Father who
loves all his children with equal
affection, Benedict XV not only
sought by every means to bring
that calamity to an end, but at
every opportunity, through the
vast organization of the Church,
he strove to alleviate the honors
of war, to lessen its atrocities, to
better the conditions of prisoners,
to assist them by the exchange of
news with their families, to con
sole them with articles of piety,
by religious assistance and by
gifts. His charitable undertakings
for the welfare of combatants of
all nationalities, for their families,
their widows and war orphans
knew no limits. His frequent
heartfelt appeals for peace, ad
dressed to sovereigns and rulers,
unfortunately went unanswered.
“Day by day the earth is
drenched with newly-shed blood
and is covered with the bodies
of the wounded and of the slain.
Who would imagine, as we see
them thus filled with hatred of
one another, that they are all of
one common stock, all of the same
nature, all members of the same
human society? Who would recog
nize brothers, whose Father is in
Heaven? . . Such has oeen the
change in the ideas and the morals
of men, that unless God comes
soon to our help, the end of civil
ization would seem to be at hand.'’
(Encyclical “Ad Beatissimi”, No
vember 1, 1940).
THE CHARITY OF
BENEDICT XV
Distressed by the dreadful spec
tacle of this slaughter of human
ity, the Vicar of Christ turned to
the Bishops of the whole world,
asking them to adopt his own pro
gram, and dedicate themselves en
tirely to tire task of making char
ity live in every possible manner
and place, and to practice it and
to have it practiced ardently and
_ unceasingly;
“You see, Venerable Bretheren,
how necessary it is to strive in
every possible way that the char
ity of. Jesus Christ should once
more rule supreme amongst men.
That will ever be Our own aim;
that will be the keynote of Our
Pontificate. And We exhort you
to make that also the end of your
' endeavors.” (Ibidem).
Benedict XV fulfilled his pro
gram in the most sublime fashion.
His great heart appeared worthy
of the universal Father, the Head
of the Church, already described
by St. Ignatius Martyr, at the
dawn of the second century, as
“universo caritatis coetui praesi-
dens”—“presiding over the as
sembly of those bound together
by charity.” (St. Ignatius Antioch-
enus, Epistula ad Romanos, Ihscr.)
Literally everything he possessed
he gave to the suffering, to com
batants and prisoners, to the sick
and distressed, and the center of
all the activity entailed was his
{ Secretariate of State, where he
personally attended to thousands
of details.
THE IMMEDIATE
PREPARATION
In this atmosphere of charity
and pastoral solicitude Eugenio
Pacelli had spent the last years
of his service in the Roman Curia,
until the time of his appointment
as Apostolic Nuncio. He had co
operated in the fulfillment of the
Pontifical program by his daily,
assiduous and untiring labors in
the fulfillment of the Pontifical
program by his daily, assiduous
and untiring labors in the high of
fice of Secretary of the Sacred
Congregation of Extraordinary Af
fairs, to which he had been called
in the year 1914 by Pope Pius X,
of holy memory.
Benedict XV was particularly
vigilant in choosing for the rule
of dioceses men who possessed
qualities that would distinguish
them in the practice of charity, so
that he might have in them faith
ful collaborators. He wished to
have diplomatic representatives
of the same qualities, two of whom
were the subsequent Sovereign
Pontiffs, Pius XI and Pius XII.
As soon as Eugenio Pacelli was
raised to the high office of Nun
cio or Missus Dominicus he re
vealed himself as the very eyes,
hands and heart of the Pope. In
fact, the characteristic task of a
Pontifical representative is “ger-
ere personam Pontificis,” “to act
personally for the Pontiff,” with
Governments and with the Bishops
and faithful. When the represen
tative is not accredited to the
civil government he is called
Apostolic Delegate rather than
Apostolic Nuncio. In either case,
however, the supreme purpose of
his mission is spiritual; and for
this reason also it is customary for
the Pontifical representative to
be invested with the episcopal dig
nity.
MISSUS DOMINICUS
Archbishop Pacelli. from his
first dealings in his new capacity,
as Nuncio, appeared more than
a high official in the diplomatic
field. He was truly an humble
priest, desirous of spreading the
eternal word of the Gospel, an
angel of charity for the relief of
the many miseries caused by the
war. It was not easy for a diplo
mat in that tempestuous period
and in an atmosphere filled with
suspicion to win respect and af
fection. There was a tendency to
misconstrue the most simple ac
tions and to seek everywhere hid
den purposes.
Archbishop Pacelli soon exper
ienced all these difficulties. At
the direction of Benedict XV he
visited the Emperor of German)
and presented to him a letter in
which the Pontiff beseeched Wil
helm II to cooperate for peace.
Germany still felt strong, and in
deed seemed an invincible colos
sus, even w-hen the Austrian Em
pire had begun to show signs of
disintegration. To mention to the
Kaiser the olive branch of peace
at that time seemed an attempt
to prevent the victory so long in
his dreams. Unfavorable com
ment and resentment were the lot
of the bearer of the letter.
Nevertheless there soon arose in
regard to Monsignor Pacelli a
general conviction that he was a
true priest and Bishop, and his
popularity increased among the
great and small in Bavaria and in
Germany, where he was Nuncio
from 1920 to the end of 1929.
The Nuncio had grave and pre
occupying problems of a diplo
matic nature in that turbulent
period, but nevertheless he ap
peared outwardly always so serene
and paternal that it was remarked
that his thoughts seemed fixed
upon the salvation of souls; he
was always seen immersed in
works of charity.
“On behalf of Christ we are act
ing as ambassadors”. (2 Cor., V,
20). It was said repeatedly that
he acted in unison with the activ
ity and office of the Supreme Pon
tiff. Being a Bishop himself he
felt a strict obligation of dedi
cating himself “ad labores et sol-
lieitudines pro Gloria Dei.” (Cone.
Trid., Sess. XXV, de Ref. cap. 1).
His humility and piety left no
doubt whatsoever about the pur
poses of his activity; and even
those alien or indifferent to sac
red things came finally to admire
in him the priest, the Bishop and
the good shepherd of souls.
“THE LOVE OF
CHRIST IMPELS”
In reality the most frequent ap
pearances of the Nuncio were
those motivated by the sacred
ministry.
Visits to prisoners of war were
a favorite form of'his charity. He
went not only for special occas
ions, but at any other time that it
was possible. He conveyed to
them the blessing and the person
al gifts of the Holy Father. To
this great comfort he added
another intimate and treasured
one; for hours he listened to indi
vidual cases, receiving every rec
ommendation, petition and com
plaint, and undertaking to send
news to beloved ones of the pris
oners far away. Then he spoke
pastoral words of consolation,
counsel and hope, and often per
formed the sacred rites.
As in the concentration camps,
so did he go through the hospitals
and prisons with the same zeal
and with the same heart of a
priest and Bishop impelled by the
words of-the Apostle Paul, which
now, in the midst of the present
desolations of war, are so fre
quently on his august lips: “Who
is weak, and I am not weak? Who
is made to stumble, and I am not
inflamed?” (2 Cor. XI, 29).
In preaching he saw a great
means of assisting souls spiritual
ly, and however occupied in the
tasks of his office, he generally
lent himself to announce the word
of the Lord, realizing that “the of
fice of preaching belongs chiefly
to Bishops” (Cone. Trid. XXIV s.,
Reform, ch. IV) and that for the
continuation of the work of the
Apostles, Our Lord had command
ed them: “Go and make disciples
of all nations” (Mt. XXVIII, IP).
All Germany heard him on occas
ions great and small, at national
meetings and at intimate celebra
tions of parishes, schools, Institu
tions, on the occasion of Blessings,
First Communions and Confirms
tions. His words, spiritual and
salutary, simple yet profound,
made such a deep impression on
the hearts of those who heard
them that tbe people were accus
tomed to consider the Nuncio as
one of their own Bishops, who
spoke with great love and under
standing about their fatherland,
their families and their problem.
THE CONCORDATS
A great part of his mission in
Bavaria and in Germany consist
ed in the negotiations with those
Governments leading to two Con
cordats, that with the Bavarian
Republic signed on May 29, 1942,
and ratified January 24, 1925, anil
that with Prussia signed on June
14, 1929, and ratified on August
13. 1929.
Obviously for such negotiations
it is necessary to have consum
mate experience, knowledge of
places, affairs and traditions, as
well as great tact. In Concordats
the Holy See, while on the one
hand tending to grant favors, priv
ileges and recognition of particu
lar rights and customs, is never
theless most solicitious for the
recognition of the rights of God
and of souls, especially regarding
freedom in the practice of relig
ion, in ecclesiastical discipline, in
the choice of pastors of the
Church, in the matters oi religi
ous instruction and of schools.
The Nuncio, Archbishop Pacelli,
succeeded in obtaining all those
things by his graciousness and
calm, by his forcefulness and full
understanding with the other con
tracting party. The Concordat
with Bavaria, the first after the
great war, especially in regard to
religious education and instruc
tion, could not be more precise
and complete. In fact it guaran
teed to the youth of primary and
higher schools an excellent spirit
ual, moral and religious training.
To those who congratulated ihe
Nuncio on these results, he humb
ly responded that if he could not
enjoy the happiness of a Bishop
engaged in the pastoral ministry,
at least he was consoled in the
thought—which was uppermost in
his mind during the long negotia
tions—that through the Concordat
thousands of youths would be
guaranteed the means and the op
portunity of ‘becoming food
Christians.
When later Monsignor Pacelli
was elevated by the Sovereign
Pontiff, Pius XI, to the dignity of
the cardinalate In the Consistory
of November 16, 1929, although
many foresaw that he would be
the next Secretary of State, not a
few others insisted that Cardinal
Pacelli would prefer the sacred
ministry in the administration of
a diocese. These were conjec
tures of his admirers who well
knew his ardor for the apostolate.
AT THE SIDE
OF PIUS XI
His appointment as Secretary of
State followed after a short time.
The Supreme Pontiff, Pius XI,
whose years had not diminished
his constant and vigilant adminis
tration of the Church, on the re
signation of the illustrious Cardin
al Pietro Gasparri from the high
office of Secretary of State, de
cided to choose the newly appoint
ed Cardinal Pacelli as his succes
sor, for the continuation of his
enlightened and energetic pro
gram.
The work of Pius XI, so intense
and rich in every field of eccles
iastical activity, was inspired en
tirely by the highest religious mo
tives. It was noted for its achieve
ments in the field of diplomacy, in
the impulse given to the sciences,
to studies and to everything beau
tiful and useful. But it was literal
ly sublime for its imprint upon
that which is the priestly and
episcopal ministry properly so
called; parochial life, preaching,
missions. Catholic Action, cate
chetical instruction, religious in
struction to adults, frequent re
ception of the Sacraments, Eu
charistic piety, every form of
charity, social assistance inspired
by love of God and neighbor, and
everything apt to bring souls to
the fulfillment of the command
ments of the Lord, to illuminate
them and to raise them to God
in the bond of grace.
Pius XI had a marvelous way of
knowing how to avail himself of
the various offices and means of
the Holy See, the Episcopate, Re
ligious Orders and even of the
laity for realization of this pro
gram, which is truth was- clearly
marked with the sign of greatness.
The volumes of the Acta Apostol-
icae Sedis, from 1922 to 1939, are
an index of his providential and
wonderful activity, yet they rep
resent but a portion of it in the
official form destined for the pub
lic.
It is the Cardinal Secretary of
State who, by the nature of his
office, is ever at the side of the
Pope. It i: well known that Card
inal Pacelli was the attentive,
zealous collaborator, and faithful
interpreter of the wishes of the
August Pontiff, both in affairs of
State and in the apostolate. The
preparation of these acts, the pre
sentation of them to Bishops and
faithful, and the explanation of
their true meaning, comprised a
great part of the activity of Card
inal Pacelli in cooperation with
the Supreme Pontiff.
In fact a new aspect was noted
in the devoted work of Cardinal
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