Dalla parte del re. La Santa Sede di fronte alla questione catalana e basca nei primi tre decenni del Novecento

Abstract

On the king’s side. The Holy See and the Catalan and Basque issue in the first three decades of the 20th century

Based on nuncios’ reports, further documentation from the Vatican archives and updated historiography, this article examines the Holy See’s attitude in front of the Basque and Catalan nationalisms birth and development. In this two movements, Euskera and Catalan language had a fundamental relevance. The Secretariat of State and the pontiffs were constantly informed about the situation in the Basque Country and Catalonia; they approved the use the two languages for the predication; they considered the diffusion of Basque and Catalan nationalism within the clergy as a form of politicization, condemning it since 1913. On the contrary, they did not embrace the same attitude in front of the Spanish nationalist clergy, who was not less politicized. The article demonstrates that along these three decades the Holy See shared the unionist vision of Spain proper of the Monarchy and the fear that autonomy would eventually lead to independence.