Edward Marchant The Influences and Role of Pope Pius XI against Antisemitism Aquila – The FGCU Student Research Journal Volume 3 Issue 2 (2017) DOI 10.24049/aq.3.2.3 © 2017 Marchant Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 OPEN ACCESS Aquila - The FGCU Student Research Journal 7KH,QÀXHQFHVDQG5ROHRI3RSH3LXV;,DJDLQVW$QWLVHPLWLVP Edward Marchant College of Arts and Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL 33965 Faculty mentor: Paul Bartrop, Ph.D., Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL 33965 ABSTRACT The role of Pope Pius XI in dealing with the spreading of Nazi racism is one that has been overshadowed by his controversial successor’s actions during the Holocaust. This historical narrative fails to recognize the achievements of this relatively centrist pope in an era of extremes. In fact, Pope Pius XI played a crucial part in laying the foundation for Christian and Jewish resistance against Nazi racist ideologies and cruelty. Indeed, his actions are in part a makeup of his life’s mission. Thus, by ORRNLQJDWWKHSHUVRQDOLQÀXHQFHVWKDWVKDSHGKLVSHUVSHFWLYHWKURXJKRXWKLVOLIHWKDWVKDSHGKLVSROLWLFDOUDFLDODQGUHOLJLRXV beliefs, Pope Pius XI can be seen both as an opponent to racial antisemitism and a man attempting to keep the Church safe while caught in a world of rapid change due to the ideal of modernity and the spreading of Communism and Fascism. Keywords: Pope, Nazi, racism, antisemitism, Communism, Holocaust, Bolshevism Pope Pius XI was an early opponent of Nazism, and uncle, he would come to know the local archbishop, and deserves a thorough and even-handed study of his life and eventually after graduating from seminary school with a role as supreme pontiff. The scholarship surrounding Pius focus on humanities, in the 1880s, was inducted into the XI generally displays him as either a friend to the Jews College of the Lombards in Rome4. Ratti went on to earn or an antisemite who showed little love for them, caring a triple doctorate in Philosophy, Theology, and Canon only about the well-being of the Church. Pius XI reigned Law by 188257KHVHHDUO\LQÀXHQFHVZHUHLPSRUWDQWDV as pope from 1922-1939; he published concordats with his education provided him a foundation for dealing with secular authorities to legally preserve Church sovereignty antisemitism with a scholarly mind, rather than a political and ownership over religion, most notably with the Fascist mind, during his papacy. states of Italy and Germany1. Throughout his papacy, During Ratti’s education, he was introduced to the Pius XI used politics, religious encyclicals, and speeches philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas. To Ratti, Thomism that preached against racial antisemitism to protect the suggested that the intent to do wrong made the act morally Catholic Church from the spread of Nazi antisemitic wrong; this is called Aquinas’s principle of Double Effect6. ideologies. To understand Pius XI’s role in attempting to The principle of Double Effect would cause Ratti to consider VWRS1D]LDQWLVHPLWLVPKLVLQÀXHQFHVDQGUHOLJLRXVOLIH actions seen by others as wrong, such as dealing with both before and during his papacy, must be analyzed. Hitler, to be morally good because Ratti’s intent was just 8SRQXQGHUVWDQGLQJKLVLQÀXHQFHVDQGZKDWKHKHOGGHDU and thus morally right. As pope, his grounding in Thomist as a Catholic, an accurate representation of the pope can SULQFLSOHVPDLQO\WKDWRI'RXEOH(IIHFWLQÀXHQFHGKLVQRQ be revealed. It can thus be argued that Pope Pius XI’s role engagement with the politics of the day and kept him out of DVDUHVLVWHURI1D]LDQWLVHPLWLVPZDVWR¿QGDEDODQFH the debates and intense arguments of the late nineteenth and between what he believed was morally right in halting early twentieth centuries77KLVLQÀXHQFHZRXOGSURYHWREH Nazi racism and keeping the Church politically linked to crucial to how Pius XI would handle political situations in the Fascist states to safeguard against the changes of the Germany and Italy, choosing a non-confrontational approach twentieth century, notably Bolshevism. This argument will in order to not sever diplomatic ties with other powers of the EHGHYHORSHGRYHUWKHFRXUVHRIWKUHHVHFWLRQV¿UVWDQ day. Rather, along with his administration, he would choose examination of Pius XI’s personal life, second Pius XI’s to act diplomatically and within the legality of the Church’s political dealings with Nazi Germany and Mussolini’s Italy concordats in relation to the two states when faced with DQG¿QDOO\KRZKHGHDOWZLWKUHOLJLRXVDQGUDFLDOWHQVLRQ moral dilemmas, just as Aquinas’ theories proposed. within the Vatican concerning antisemitism. After Ratti earned his doctoral degrees, he went on Pope Pius XI was born with the name Ambrose Damian to teach at the seminary at Padua, Italy. He worked at the Achille Ratti on May 31, 1857 in Desio, Italy, near Milan. Ambrosian Library until 1911, and became a member of the His family was considered part of the peasantry, with strong Oblates of St. Charles (members were in charge of running WLHVWRHFFOHVLDVWLFDORI¿FHUV2. During the summers, his uncle the library and other educational institutions of the Church)8. Don Damiano, who was a priest, fostered a love of reading During this time as an educational facilitator and historian, in the young Ratti3. At an early age, Ratti had an inclination 5DWWLEHFDPHLQÀXHQFHGE\KLVVWXGLHVRI6W,JQDWLXV for education and the ways of the Church. Through his Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the 31 Marchant DOI 10.24049/aq.3.2.3 writer of Spiritual Exercises. The future pope held Spiritual associated with the Bolshevik Revolution; this would later Exercises in high esteem because of its emphasis on retreats, cause the Church under Pius XI to persist and impose anti- which asked Catholics to go on a spiritual journey to become Judaic policies because of the anti-religious ideology that closer to God, and the teaching of fully succumbing to surrounded Jews and Bolsheviks14. To add to the hardships one’s discipline as a way to become closer to one’s own of the future pope, in 1920, as a papal delegate to the inter- spirituality9'XHWRWKLVLQÀXHQFHWKRVHZKRODWHUNQHZ allied plebiscite commission, he became the target of Polish Ratti as pope admired his obedience, complete dedication, nationalist resentment, leading to his expulsion from Poland DQGVLPSOLFLW\V\PEROL]LQJWKHVWURQJLQÀXHQFHRIWKH in 192015. Ignatian Art10. Therefore, the religious teachings of the Jesuit Ratti was able to learn all he could about Communism, IRXQGHUSOD\HGDPDMRUUROHLQ3RSH3LXV;,¶VSRQWL¿FDWH Nationalism, and Socialism due to the Bolshevik advance because he would call on Jesuits to help him create an on Warsaw, and he concluded that it would be hopeless encyclical that denounced Nazi antisemitism, showing his for Catholics and Communists to coexist16. The political complete dedication to the Church and the continuity of the turbulence in Poland forced Ratti to believe that more than Catholic faith. ever, the Church needed to be an independent entity to $QRWKHULQÀXHQFHWKDWSOD\HGDPDMRUUROHLQIRUPLQJ avoid political entanglements. Poland, therefore, profoundly Pope Pius XI’s response to the spread of Nazism and their LQÀXHQFHGWKHIXWXUH3LXV;,¶VHIIHFWLYHUROHLQNHHSLQJ antisemitic teachings occurred during his time as Papal a balanced approach between supporting Fascism to stop Visitor to Poland in 1918. In 1815 the Congress of Vienna Communism and helping the Jewish people survive against had split Poland amongst Russia, Germany, and Austria for Nazi antisemitism. territorial gains. Before Poland regained its statehood, the :KHQDQDO\]LQJ5DWWL¶VLQÀXHQFHVIURPFKLOGKRRGWRKLV Russians forbade the development of religious orders of time in Poland, an understanding of his personal views on men and the establishment of nuns within their section of politics and Jews becomes apparent. Ratti was faced with Poland11. Over the course of World War I, Poland gained its many religious and political challenges during his time in independence and became a whole country again. The now Poland, and confronted them with the diplomatic mind of an Monsignor Ratti was chosen by Pope Benedict XV to be educated man of faith. These issues shaped his ideas about Papal Visitor because of his cultural upbringing, education Jews. Like many Europeans, Ratti began to equate Jews with within the faith, and the understanding of history he Bolshevism; these prejudiced ideas did not, however, lead developed while working at the Ambrosian Library. Through to future persecution based on race. Unlike the Nazis, who his experiences as a professor and librarian, Ratti had the persecuted both Communists and Jews and racialized them, tempered mind of a scholar, but during his time in Poland, Ratti refused to do so. Ratti would be elected Pope Pius XI the country’s environment subjected him to disgraceful LQDQGWKURXJKRXWKLVSDSDF\WKHVHLQÀXHQFHVVKDSHG situations that would eventually shape his papal policies and how he dealt with Fascism, racism, and antisemitism. religious standings towards the Jewish people. This shift Pope Pius XI’s papacy dealt with changing political in political territory would cause Ratti to come face to face factors such as coexistence with Fascist Italy, the rise of the with the political ideologies of Bolshevism and Nationalism Soviet Union, and the rise of Hitler’s Germany. Initially, spreading across Europe. During his time in Warsaw, he the new pope’s primary concern was dealing with the now saw to the people’s religious needs, visited various religious