New insights from a Rome conference highlight Pacelli’s firm response to Nazi protests over Cardinal Mundelein’s 1937 speech.
Newsroom (07/05/2026 Gaudium Press ) At a Rome conference titled “Eugenio Pacelli – Pius XII Between the City of God and the City of Man,” historians revisited a defining diplomatic episode involving the future Pope Pius XII. Among the highlights was a synthesis presented by Andrea Tornielli, Editorial Director of Vatican News, focusing on Pacelli’s response to Nazi Germany in 1937.
The episode unfolded after Cardinal George William Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago, delivered a sharply critical private address to his clergy on 18 May 1937. In his remarks, Mundelein condemned Adolf Hitler in unusually direct and polemical terms, questioning how millions of Germans could submit to what he described as an unworthy leader and his associates. Though delivered behind closed doors, the speech quickly became front-page news across the United States.
The reaction from Berlin was swift. On 24 May, German Ambassador Diego von Bergen sought an audience with Cardinal Pacelli, then Secretary of State under Pope Pius XI, presenting a formal protest against Mundelein’s remarks. Pacelli responded with a carefully calibrated rebuttal. While declining to comment definitively without a verified transcript, he redirected the issue toward the German government’s own conduct.
In a written follow-up the same day, Pacelli posed a pointed counter-question: what had the German authorities done to address ongoing attacks against the Church, the Pope, and clergy in state-influenced media? He asserted that the regime not only tolerated such hostility but actively promoted it through its propaganda apparatus. The Holy See, he stated, awaited a clear and satisfactory response.
The exchange escalated on 29 May, when a second, more forceful note from the German Embassy demanded that the Vatican publicly disavow Mundelein. The German government argued that silence from the Holy See amounted to tacit approval of the cardinal’s remarks.
Faced with mounting pressure, Pope Pius XI convened a high-level meeting on 20 June at Castel Gandolfo, presiding over discussions with senior Vatican officials. Pacelli delivered the introductory report, setting out a firm position. He argued that any Vatican condemnation of Mundelein would signal weakness and embolden Adolf Hitler, whom he described as prone to self-delusion and expecting submission from the world.
Pacelli acknowledged that parts of Mundelein’s speech may have been imprudent but warned that any clarification issued under pressure would appear as capitulation to the Nazi regime. His reasoning ensured that the Archbishop of Chicago would not be forced into retraction.
Pius XI endorsed Pacelli’s stance unequivocally, reportedly praising his Secretary of State in strong terms. Days later, the Vatican formally replied to Berlin. The response emphasized that Mundelein had spoken in a private capacity and did not represent the Holy See. It also underscored his right, as an American citizen, to express views protected by constitutional freedoms.
At the same time, the Vatican insisted that any discussion of the matter must occur on equal footing. It reiterated its demand for answers to longstanding complaints about violations of the Concordat and anti-Church campaigns in Germany.
The German protest ultimately dissipated without resolution. In a symbolic closing note to the episode, on 17 July 1937, Pius XI publicly praised Mundelein while addressing pilgrims from Chicago, commending both the city and its archbishop for their defense of the Church.
The incident, as highlighted at the Rome conference, offers a revealing glimpse into Pacelli’s diplomatic approach and his perception of Nazi leadership during a critical period in Church-state relations.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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