Vatican documents related to interventions of Nuncio Guiseppe Roncalli in favor of jewish people persecuted by the Nazi regime.
The following report has been made based on the analysis of the Vatican documents published in 11 volumes by the Holy See in the work Actes et documents du Saint-Siège relatives a la Second Guerre Mondiale .
Such work comprises all the reports and telegrams exchanged between the Vatican’s State Secretary and the nunciatures in the different relevant countries to the Second World War.
The analysis of the documents allows to distinguish the following events in which Nuncio Roncalli´s expressed (or suggested) intervention appears in favor of Jewish refugees:
VOLUME 8 :
1. Actions taken by Nuncio Roncalli in favor of Jewish refugees who passed by Istanbul, in transit towards other destinations – Communication nº 3420 dated 01-28-1941 of Nuncio Roncalli to the Vatican’s State secretary Cardinal Maglione (page 83). The telegram refers to a Jewish refugee named Eduardo Luberski, who would have headed towards USA. Another refugee Casimiro Bober, would have continued to Palestine.
2. Request of Nuncio Roncalli in favor of a group of Jews residing in Perpignan, France – Communication nº 4068 dated 01-18-1942 of Nuncio Roncalli to Nuncio to France Monsignor Valéri (page 647). In the telegram Nuncio Roncalli requests the intervention of the Nuncio to France to simplify the transit of a group of Jews.
VOLUME 9 :
3. Allusion of Nuncio Roncalli to the Vatican intervention to allow the exit of Jews from Germany-Communication nº 4129 dated 1-22-1943 of Nuncio Roncalli to the Vatican’s Secretary State Cardinal Maglione (pages 87-88). The text refers to an action with the purpose of demanding Vatican intervention to allow the exit of Jews from Germany. It mentions an official of the Jewish Agency , Mr. Bader and a priest named Hughes supposedly appointed to the nunciature in Palestine. Annex : introduction of delegate Barlas of the Jewish Agency to Father Hughes.
4. Allusion of Nuncio Roncalli to the Vatican intervention in favor of Jewish children from Slovakia – Communication nº 99 dated 3-13-1943 of Nuncio Roncalli to the Vatican’s State secretary Cardinal Maglione (page 185). The text refers to the message of a Jewish Agency’s official whose named is Kapl in relation to the danger of deportation of 20.000 Jews from Slovakia , for whom Vatican help is requested.
5. Allusion of Nuncio Roncalli to conversations held with delegates of the Jewish Agency in relation to the destiny of the Jews from Slovakia – Communication nº 4180 dated 03-13-1943 of Nuncio Roncalli to the Vatican’s State secretary Cardinal Maglione (page 185). The telegram refers to conversations held with the delegates of the Jewish Agency Kaplan and Barlas, about the intervention request to the Holy See in favor of Jews from Slovakia.
6. The Holy See confirms Nuncio Roncalli to have accomplished his intervention request in favor of the Jews from Slovakia – Telegram number 153 dated 05-04-1943 of the Vatican’s State secretary Maglione to Nuncio Roncalli (page 272). It refers to the telegrams nº 99 and report nº 4180 of Nuncio Roncalli in which he had requested the Holy See intervention in favor of the Slovak Jews. The Vatican’s State secretary informs Nuncio Roncalli that the Holy See has taken actions on this matter, as requested.
7. Nuncio Roncalli sends to the Vatican a list of names of Jewish people received from Rabbi Ashkenazí of Istanbul asking for papal intervention in their favor.
Communication nº 4248 dated 05-22-1943 of Nuncio Roncalli to the Vatican’s State secretary Cardinal Maglione (page 306) note of names attached, delivered by Rabbi Markus and requests papal intervention for those people.
8. Nuncio Roncalli communicates Sister Casilda de Sión about the destiny of a Jewish refugee, passenger of the ship Sturma Communication nº 4207 dated 04-14-1943. Nuncio Roncalli asks Sister Casilda to inform a woman, her last name being Mayer, about the destiny of her daughter, refugee that traveled aboard the ship Sturma (page 310). It’s worth mentioning in this document the deep words of the Nuncio in relation to the Jews persecuted by Nazism.
9. Nuncio Roncalli asks for the Vatican intervention in favor of two groups of Jewish refugees in Slovakia and Croatia – Telegram number 114 dated 05-30-1943. Nuncio Roncalli refers to two groups of refugees (page 321) – one of which has been confined to the concentration camp of Jasenovats near the town of Staragradiskas for whom he requests papal help.
10. The Vatican’s State secretary informs Nuncio Roncalli of the action taken on his request in favor of Slovak Jews and other people included in the list delivered by Rabbi Markus Communication 3978-43 dated 06-23-1943. The Vatican’s secretary updated Nuncio Roncalli on the above mentioned subject (page 361).
11. Nuncio Roncalli begs for mercy for the Bulgarian Jews to the King of Bulgaria Note dated 06-30-1943, Nuncio Roncalli begs for mercy to the King of Bulgaria for the Bulgarian Jews (page 371).
12. Nuncio to Bucharest Cardinal Casullo refers in a note to the Vatican’s State secretary to a list of Jewish people from Transnistria delivered by Nuncio Roncalli. Nuncio to Bucharest refers to a list of Rumanian Jews delivered by Nuncio Roncalli who ask for Nuncio to Rumanian’s intervention in their favor (page 390).
13. Nuncio Roncalli to the Vatican’s State secretary refers to an humanitarian action taken in favor of Jewish refugees with no concrete results Communication number 4332 dated 20-8-1943 on the above mentioned subject (page 348).
14. Nuncio Roncalli to the Vatican’s State secretary request papal intervention in favor of Italian Jews, emphasizing likewise the convenience of permitting the emigration of the Jewish refugees to Palestine. Communication nº 4344 dated 09-04-1943 on the above mentioned subject (page 469).
15. Great Rabbi Herzog to Palestine to Nuncio Roncalli, recognizes the efforts made by the Nuncio in favor of Jewish refugees – Note dated 11-22-1943 issued in Jerusalem by the Great Rabbi Herzog on the above mentioned subject (page 575).
16. Jewish Agency delegate Haim Barlas to Nuncio Roncalli, requests Nuncio’s intervention in favor of Jews from northern Italy – Note dated 12-06-1943 issued in Istanbul on the above mentioned subject (page 592).
VOLUME 10 :
17. Great Rabbi Herzog to Palestine to Nuncio Roncalli giving his thanks to the efforts made by the Nuncio in favor of Jewish refugees Note dated 02-28-1944 issued in Jerusalem on the above mentioned subject (page 161).
18. Nuncio in Bucharest Monsignor Casullo to the Vatican’s State secretary, refers to actions taken in favor of Jews from Transnistría (Rumania) as requested by Nuncio Roncalli – Communication nº 10858 dated 03-16-1944 on the above mentioned subject (page 179).
19. Nuncio Roncalli to Haim Barlas, delegate of the Jewish Agency, informed that Nuncio to Bucharest will intervene in favor of Jews from Transnistría Communication nº 4521 dated 03-23-1944 on the above mentioned subject (page 188).
20. Nuncio to Berne, Monsignor Bernardini, to the Vatican’s State secretary, in relation to a request made by Roncalli in favor of Jews from Budapest Communication nº 4521 dated 03-23-1944 on the above mentioned subject (page 335).
21. Nuncio to Bucharest Monsignor Casullo to the Vatican’s State secretary, informing of the evacuation of Jews from Rumania by ship Communication nº 11127 dated 07-11-1944 on the above mentioned subject. The explanatory note refers to a communication of Monsignor Casullo filed in the nunciature in Bucharest referring to the ship that departed from Constanta to Istanbul with 739 Jewish refugee from Rumania, among them 250 Jewish orphans from Transnistría (such orphans arrived later to Palestine) (Page 347).
22. Nuncio Roncalli to the American Ambassador to Turkey, Mr. Hirshman detailing the Nuncio’s actions in favor of the Jewish refugees (Page 389).
23. Nuncio to Presburg, Monsignor Burzio, to the Vatican’s State secretary, accompanying a request from Nuncio Roncalli of Vatican intervention in favor of Slovak Jews Telegram nº 98 dated 09-15-1944. Information to the Vatican about the renewed persecution against the Jews from Bratislava and accompanies the above mentioned request of Nuncio Roncalli (Page 418).
24. Monsignor Tardini to Nuncio to Berne Monsignor Bernardini, about the efforts of the Holy See in favor of the Jews from Hungary and the Czech Republic. It refers to telegram 212 of Nuncio Roncalli – Telegram nº696 dated 10-23-1944 on the above mentioned subject. In the footnote it is expressed that the telegram nº 212 of Nuncio Roncalli that accompanies Monsignor Tardici´s note says the following: More than 5000 Jews are being concentrated in the camp of Sered, among them 2000 are in danger of deportation, which means a certain death. We permit ourselves to ask for Holy see intervention in favor of those 2000 Jews to save them from deportation and death (this telegram is filed in the nunciature of Istanbul) (Page 454).
25. Nuncio Roncalli (as Nuncio to France) to a Monsignor Montini, asking for information about the Italian Jews deported to Germany – Communication nº 601/45 dated 03-23-1945 on the above mentioned subject (page 565).
