ADSS 8.130 Maglione to Rotta: Vatican protest to Hungarian government

ADSS 8.130: Cardinal Maglione to Nuncio Angelo Rotta

Reference:  AES 6167/41

Location and date: Vatican, 13.08.1941

Summary statement:  Protest against the Antisemitic legislation in Hungary.

Language: Italian

Text:

I have received the regular reports of Your Reverence, numbers 5706/41, 5763/41 and 5806/41 of 06, 19 and 24.07.1941 related to the racial laws recently approved by the Hungarian parliament. (1)

In response to those laws, which are contrary to Catholic doctrine regarding marriage, I addressed a note to the Hungarian Minister were I could not fail to express to the Government the genuine concerns of the Holy See.  I have enclosed a copy for your Excellency. (2)

Given that this Secretariat lacks the desired details and any implications of the exact scope and disposition of the laws in question and their consequences, from a religious point of view, a Note has been prepared in fairly general terms.

Anyway, I hope that the Hungarian government will not fail to take due account of the legitimate desires expressed and in his hope, to take this opportunity …

References: 

(1) ADSS 8.111,116.  The third report was not published in ADSS.

(2) ADSS 8.128

(3) The nuncio replied on 21.08.1941: “the laws, as promulgated, have not yet entered into force; they will do so gradually … I do not have any illusions about the possibility of a delay sine die [without a day specified in the future] or of any regulations that could practically reduce its scope”. Report number 5959/41 N. Pr 411; AES 7131/41.