From: F. D. Roosevelt Library & Digital Archives – http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/
CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES
HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
WASHINGTON, D. C.
July 24, 1939.
Hon. Cordell Hull,
Secretary of State,
Washington, D.C.
My dear Mr. Secretary:
At the Coronation Ceremonies of Pope
Pius XII, there was present as a representative of President
Roosevelt, our present Ambassador to England, the Honorable Joseph P.
Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy's presence served to emphasize the very friendly
relations that have always existed between our Government and the
Papal See.
An examination of the records will reveal that diplomatic relations with the Holy See were first established on December 15, 1784, when the Papal Nuncio at Paris wrote to the American Commissioners that his Government had agreed to open the ports of Civita Vecchia on the Mediterranean, and Ancona on the Adriatic, to American vessels.
On June 26, 1797, John Baptist Sartori of Rome was commissioned as the first Consul to represent the United States in the Papal Dominions.
The diplomatic relations thus established between our country and the Papal States were maintained for nearly three three quarters of a century in a spirit of a mutual friendship and respect. In 1867, the American mission to Rome came to an official end, but through no fault or action of the Holy See. Congress simply refused to continue the appropriation for the American mission. There was question as whether or not then Pope Pius had recognized the Confederacy. Congress had merely refused to continue the necessary appropriation, so that as Secretary of State Seward stated, "Legally, the action of congress left the mission still exixting, but without compensation".
In my opinion, the action of our government was somewhat hasty and illadvised, was an ungenerous return for the good-will of the Papal See had always manifested towards our government and our people. I Believe the time has now come when these diplomatic relations, thus groundlessly severed, should be restored. That restoration would be a clarion call to the civilized peoples of the world that religious and personal liberties are inherent in our democracy. In this connenction I quote the interesting language used by Mr. Chief Justice Fuller in the opinion of hte Municipality of Ponce v. Roman Catholic Apostolic church in Porto Rico, decided June 1, 1908: "The corporate existence of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the position occupied by the papacy, has always been recognized by the Government of the united States.
"At one time the United States maintained diplomatic relations with the Papal States, which continued up to the time of the loss of the temporal power of the papacy. (Moore's Digest of Int. Law, vol. l, pp.130, 131)
"The Holy See still occupies a recognized position in international law, of which the courts must take Judicial notice.
"The Pope, though deprived of the territorial dominion which he formerly enjoyed, holds, as sovereign pontiff and head of the Roman Catholic Church, an exceptional position. Though, in default of territory, he is not a temporal sovereign, he is in many respects treated as such. He has the right of active and passive legation, and his envoys of the first class, his apostolic nuncios, are specially privileged . .. '" (1 Moore' s Dig. 39)
Furthermore, practlcally all countriessend their diplomatic representatives to the Court of the Supreme Pontiff and diplomatic representatives of the Holy See are received with the respect and consideration customarily accorded to diplomatic agents.
A representative of our country residing at the Holy See would do much to bring to the fore the fact that in our country we respect to the full the rights of religious freedom, as we do also those accompanying precious rights of freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of assemblage.'
A A reinstatement of relations with the Holy See would dramatically serve to recall to the world that intolerance and religious hatred and bigotry cannot flourish here. It would enkindle in our own hearts sympathy for the thousands of unfortunates who have been castigated, tortured and ruined because of a dictator's insane hate and venom.
Events abroad indicate in no uncertain terms the great stake which religion must play in the preservation of democracy against the savage and merciless inroads of Fascism, Naziism and Communism. These ideologies exclude the virtues of Christianity faith, hope and charity, benevolence and brotherly love those virtues which are the very basis of our moral code.
The unbroken tradition of the Holy see with respect to international peace has been worthily continued to the present by the lamented supreme Pontiff Pius XI, who, in his allocution on peace in 1930, condemned in strongest terms "hard and selfish nationalism" and to the hour of his death courageously stood firm against every policy that threatened peace by undermining the principles of Justice and charity in relations among nations. The present Supreme Pontiff Pius XII, in the brief space that has elapsed since his elevation to the highest office in the Catholic Church, already has given eloquent evidence of his purpose to labor for peace among nations based on Justice and charity. History discloses that democracies value the church and religion; that dictatorships ridicule the church and despise religion. Democracies protect the church, dictatorships destroy it. Thus, our Democracy has always set a high value on religion and on the church.
The Papacy has always placed a high value on Justice and charity in relations among men and among nations. The first Popes, for example, said nothing about anti-semitism since they themselves, like their Master Christ, were Jews and subject to all the inJustices heaped upon Jews. As early as the sixth century- in the year 538 - Pope Gregory the Great wrote: "We forbid you to molest the Jews or to lay upon them restrictions not imposed by the established laws; we further permit them to live as Romans and to dispose of their property as they will."
Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Historian and author of a monumental work, "History of the Jews", writes: "It is remarkable that the Bishops of Rome, the recognized champions of Christianity, treated the Jews with the utmost toleration and liberality. The occupants of the Papal throne shielded the Jews and exhorted the clergy and the princes against the use of force in converting them to Christianity." Pope Pius XI declared on July 30, 1938, referring to the unscientific racial theories of Naziism: "It is forgotten that humankind, the whole of humankind, is a single, great universal human race. All men are, above all, members of the same great kind. They all belong to the single great family of the living, Humankind is, therefore, a single universal race." Nazi terror directed the storming of the homes of Cardinals Innitzer and Faulhaber. The Catholic priesthood is held up to ridicule and scorn and shame. Hundreds of Protestant Clergymen of the Confessional church have been arrested, and Pastor Niemoeller still languishes in a Nazi cell!
I believe the nation generally would welcome your course and understanding in this matter of re-establishing diplomatic relations with the Holy See. A pronouncement to this effect would scatter the termites of bigotry and rodents of irreligion the world over.
No sincere citizen of the United States, familiar with the history of his country and its relations with the Holy See, can reasonably object to the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the government of the United States and the Holy See.
Lastly, there has ascended to the Papal Throne, Pope Pius XII, a religious man of great erudition, wisdom and tolerance. As Anne O'Hara McCormick of the New York Times has written: "He is a spiritual plenipotentiary of great influence, though he has none but moral weapons to impress a world at arms ."
For several, months, Pope Pius XII has been endeavoring to bring peace to a war-threatened world. He has given instructions to his Papal Nuncios who are accredited to the various capitals of the world to invite the interested governments to consider peacefully and in true religious amity and accord, solutions of the grave issues, confronting the various nations, which are disturbing the world. Let us help him in his glorious mission of Peace by sending our delegate to him.
Pope Pius XII has expressed great admiration and affection for the people of the United States. He has extended his hand of fellowship to us. We should grasp it. We should re-establish diplomatic relations with the Holy See.
With assurances of high esteem, I am
Cordially yours,
EMANUEL
CELLER