Dal 18 luglio al 14 settembre 1936: come la S. Sede cambiò rotta sul conflitto spagnolo

Abstract

From July 18 to September 14, 1936: how the Holy Seat changed course on the Spanish Civil war

The article examines the stance of the Holy Seat on the Spanish Civil war, day by day from July 18 to September 14, 1936, by analyzing “L’Osservatore romano” newspaper, Cardinal Gomá’s reports and Archivio Segreto Vaticano (ASV) documents concerning the information coming from the Madrid Nunciature, from other diplomatic channels and from the clergymen who escaped persecution. In particular, it reveals that from August 15 the pope expressed the intention, subsequently abandoned on August 28-29, to tackle the tragic Spanish events with a Letter to the Secretary of State, whose three versions found are examined. In this letter the Pope, while vigorously deploring violence, did not side with either of the warring parties and even invoked the cessation of hostilities. The pope publicly dealt with the Spanish Civil war in the Castel Gandolfo allocution of September 14, in which he changed his original stance. A comparison between the initial position and the text of the Castel Gandolfo speech show for the first time that it marked a dramatic turning point both because it expressed support to the insurgents and because it no longer invoked the cessation of hostilities.