Pacelli reports to Gasparri that Hoffmann, responding publicly to Faulhaber, claims to be against clericalism not religion - Nov. 6, 1919

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ov. 6, 1919 Pacelli reports to Gasparri that Hoffmann, responding publicly to Faulhaber, claims to be against clericalism not religion.

The report refers to Hoffmann’s “pertinaciously anti-religious position and activity.” English translation of report


Nov. 6, 1919 Pacelli to Gasparri:

Re: A speech by Minister Hoffmann

Most Reverend Eminence,

I believe it my duty to bring to the attention of Your Most Reverend Eminence some passages of a speech given a few days ago by the Minister President, Mr. Hoffmann, at a meeting in Nuremberg, and published in the Socialist newspaper “Fränkische Tagespost.” Apparently the Minister wanted to respond to the magnificent dynamic speech given by the Archbishop of Munich to the Catholic Congress recently held in this city (about which I had the honor to report to Your Eminence by my respectful report No. 14552 dated October 28); but what he expressed is merely new evidence to illustrate his pertinaciously anti-religious position and activity.

Thus Mr. Hoffmann said: “We find ourselves in the midst of a series of struggles. That these struggles are instigated by the other side (he had already spoken of the war the Democrats were conducting) is most clearly shown by the various Congresses held recently by the bourgeois parties. From these you could see how difficult is the situation of the Socialists in the Ministerial Cabinet. At the Congress of Catholics in Munich, Archbishop Faulhaber spoke in the tone that the priests desire for their political music. What should we conclude from this? Behind us there is a year of progressive agitation. What we could not attain in 20 years of difficult work, today, by the work of the revolution, in the course of one year, has become a fact. The old ideal of Socialism, the separation of Church and State and of Church and school stands at the center of the political struggle. Now we are preparing the way to achieve this ideal. Who among us ever believed that the separation of Church and State and of Church and school would not encounter the opposition of the entire organized force of Clericalism? The Catholic has before his eyes a grand ideal by which he lives. We can combat this ideal only if we well establish our ideal, the ideal of Socialism. In the Catholic Congress of Munich, Archbishop Faulhaber gave a presentation of this struggle when he placed in contradiction Socialism and Christianity! But that is false. We do not combat Christianity, the religion, for we have in our own ranks free thinkers and devoted Christians. Our struggle is directed against the domination of the priests and the question we pose is this: ‘Socialism or clericalism!’ What is endangered is not religion, but the dominion of priests! But religion is what they always put forward when assaults advance against the power of clericalism. It was thus and not otherwise 2000 years ago. Indeed Jesus of Nazareth fought against the clerical caste. The speakers at the Catholic Congress, Professor Beyerle, Privy Councilor Marx and Archbishop Faulhaber used pretty catchwords to claim their right to Kulturkampf!”... [ellipsis in the original]

Concluding, I humbly bow to kiss the Sacred Purple ...

Source: www.Pacelli-Edition.de, Dokt 267


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