The birth of the Second Spanish Republic in April 1931 ushered in a period of possible secularization to Spain. Liberals welcomed legal changes, while conservatives feared the special ‘privileges’ they enjoyed would end. The Catholic Church remained a central focus of left-wing antagonism and right-wing allegiances, and conflicts surrounding the future of religion grew severe. While members of the Spanish Catholic hierarchy had clearly supported the right and disdained the left, the actions and opinions of the Vatican and its hierarchy stationed in Spain were much more nuanced. Similarly, when conservative military action plunged Spain into a Civil War in July 1936, the majority of the Spanish Catholic hierarchy openly supported their victory, but the highest levels of the Vatican remained silent. This book explores the unique position and specialized reactions of the Vatican concerning the Second Republic and Civil War. For the Holy See, the conflict in Spain was not an isolated event at the edge of the conti- nent, but part of a larger narrative of ideological and political tension swirling across Europe. Any public statement by the Vatican concerning the Spanish Republic or Civil War could be misconstrued as support for one side or another, and threaten the Church. True, the Vatican often remained silent—and some have suggested this supports the conclusion that the Church worked for Franco—but by accessing previously unavai- lable sources directly from the Vatican, this book can help to clarify the difficult options that awaited the Holy See during this disastrous period. Similarly, this book works to highlight the fact that the Catholic Church was not some monolithic entity, but men like Pope Pius XI and Secretary of State Pacelli had their own understandings of spirituality and politics. Cover illustration: View of Catedral Vieja, Salamanca, Spain, from Paseo Rector Esperabé. Photo: Karl J. Trybus, May 2009 (private collection). Karl J. Trybus is Assistant Professor of History at Limestone College, South Carolina. He earned his Ph.D. in European History at the University of Connecticut. His research interests focus on the intersec- tions between Vatican diplomacy and Spanish politics during the 1930s. He has presented at a variety of conferences and written articles on the topic. Dedication For my mother Copyright © Karl Trybus, 2014. Published in the Sussex Academic e-Library, 2014. SUSSEX ACADEMIC PRESS PO Box 139 Eastbourne BN24 9BP, UK and simultaneously in the United States of America and Canada All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Trybus, Karl J. The rosary, the republic, and the right : Spain and the Vatican hierarchy, 1931–1939 / Karl J. Trybus. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-84519-614-1 (hbk : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-78284-169-2 (e-pub) ISBN 978-1-78284-170-8 (e-mobi) ISBN 978-1-78284-171-5 (e-pdf) 1. Catholic Church—Foreign relations—Spain—20th century. 2. Spain— Foreign relations—Catholic Church—20th century. 3. Catholic Church— Spain—History—20th century. 4. Spain—Politics and government—1931–1939. I. Title. BX1585.T79 2014 327.460456’34—dc23 2014017868 This e-book text has been prepared for electronic viewing. Some features, including tables and figures, might not display as in the print version, due to electronic conversion limitations and/or copyright strictures. Contents Acknowledgements vii List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ix Introduction 1 I A Troubled Past and a Tense Introduction: The Second 10 Republic is Born II From Caution to Contention: The Republican Constitution 25 and Catholic Confrontation III Republican Reorganizations: Elections of 1933 and 1936 50 IV The Uprising Begins, the Republic Reacts, and the 80 Vatican Protests V Humanitarian Concerns Increase as the War Continues 99 VI Foreign Requests for Vatican Intervention: The Hope 119 of a Spiritual Authority? VII How to Save the Basque: Vatican Mediation Meets Rebel 149 Opinions VIII Bombing and Civilians: Rebel Rejection of Mediation 168 Conclusion 186 Notes 193 Bibliography 246 Index 258 Acknowledgements This book represents a long adventure scattered with highs and lows. In the end, however, many people who cared about this project and me allowed this work to be finished. I thank them all. I must acknowledge the archives that allowed me to complete my project. I wish to thank the Centro Documental de la Memoria Histórica in Salamanca, Spain. I visited this archive in 2005 and 2009, and it was a wonderful experience. I remember requesting numerous boxes of infor- mation, photocopies and microfilm rolls. The archivists helped me more than they could have imagined! I would like to thank the Director in 2009, María José Turrión García, for taking the time to meet with me and discuss my project—even though it was at such an early stage. I also owe a great deal to the Archivio Segreto Vaticano at the Holy See. By opening the files of Pope Pius XI, the ASV has allowed scholars from around the world to understand more clearly the actions and attitudes of the Vatican. I must thank the archivists for their timely copies and well-organized materials. My research from the ASV would not be possible, however, without the help of Dr. Alessandro Visani. Dr. Visani was my guide and expert for Vatican materials. He was able to assist me whenever I needed help. Without Alessandro Visani, this project could not have been completed, and I owe him a severe debt. I need to thank the two professional organizations that assisted me throughout my graduate and early professional career by allowing me the opportunity to present at their conferences. First, I thank the Association for Spanish and Portuguese History (ASPHS) for their welcoming annual meetings and scholarly professionalism. For all those who sat on panels with me or who were in the audience, thank-you. I wish to give special thanks to former ASPSH Secretary General Dr. Daniel Crews for his constant help. I also want to recognize Dr. Wayne Bowen and Dr. Shannon Fleming for their positive outlook and support for new scholars. Second, I wish to thank the American Catholic Historical Association for its conferences and scholarship. I would specifically like to thank Dr. Charles Gallagher and Dr. Robert Ventresca for their helpful feedback. Two journals in the field of Spanish history published portions of this book as peer-reviewed articles, and I wish to acknowledge them. First, I thank the Bulletin for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies for Acknowledgements vii publishing my work “For the Republic or the Church: The Vatican’s Reactions to the Development of Spain’s Second Republic in 1931” in its December 2011 edition, volume 36. Sections of this article may be found in Chapters 1 and 2 of this book. Also, I would like to thank the International Journal of Iberian Studies for publishing “The Sad and Painful News from Spain: Vatican Relations with the Second Spanish Republic at the Start of the Spanish Civil War, 1936” in its January 2012 edition, volume 24. Chapter 4 contains sections of that article. I wish to thank both journals for assisting a new scholar and also for granting permission for these articles to be reproduced, with changes, for this book. This project began during my time as a graduate student at the University of Connecticut, and there are important individuals that I must recognize for their support. I must begin with the Office of International Affairs at UConn—and I must give special thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Mahan and Ludmilla Burns. Without their support, nothing could have ever been finished. In the UConn History Department, I wish to thank Drs. Shirley Roe, Christopher Clark, Lawrence Langer, Brendan Kane, and Charles Lansing. Each of you assisted me with special academic concerns (or trials and tribulations) over the course of my studies. I must thank the two most important people in the History Department: the fabulously retired Dee Gosline made sure I was remembered and the late Nancy Mottes Comarella was the person I could share stories with no matter the time. Without Dee and Nancy, nothing could have been accomplished. No discussion of this project would be complete without thanking my three advisors who sat on my dissertation committee and worked with me to finish this project. I wish to thank Dr. Frank Coppa for his invalu- able knowledge of Vatican diplomacy and politics. His research gave me a strong background in the topic and his support showed me that my work did matter and would pay dividends. I also wish to thank Dr. Joel Blatt for his help on this project. He worked tirelessly to help me struc- ture a strong work and to make sure that I always looked at both sides of every historical debate. I owe the largest amount of gratitude to my primary advisor, Dr. Gustavo Nanclares. Gustavo was willing to work on my project when many were not. Through the countless numbers of meeting, emails, and phone calls I learned how to build confidence in my own work and I learned how to fight for what I believe. If it wasn’t for Gustavo’s guidance, I would have never earned my doctorate. Gustavo is the epitome of a scholar and a mentor, and I thank him. I must thank my institution, Limestone College, for its support. After working so many years to become a historian, it was a great feeling to earn a job at small liberal arts school. As much as I love my research, I really love being in the classroom, and Limestone College has allowed me to viii Acknowledgements succeed in both. I would like to thank my students, colleagues, History Department, and Administration for their continued support. Many friends have guided me along the way—both personal and professional. I need to thank Justin Morgatto, Alison Porpora Lassiter, Bevin Goodniss, Shan-Estelle Brown, Giuseppina Russo, Michael Peluso, Nancy Wright, Erin Gardner, and Catherine Page. You each know how you’ve helped. If you don’t know how you’ve helped, take a guess. There are also a large number of others to thank, and I hope you know I am in your gratitude. The last group I must thank is my family. To my grandparents, Karl and Genevieve: I am forever indebted to you for your interest in my education even when one was not possible for you. To my grandfather James: though we never had the chance to meet, I thank you for your sacrifices. To my grandmother, Alexandria: you always prayed and rooted for me to succeed—and I hope I have. To my father, Karl: you did not have a chance to see me finish my doctorate, but I think you’d have been proud in the fact that I not only finished, but I fought and did what was right. To my mother, Margaret: thank you. You always understood the amount of stress I was under and you always tried to make it better, even from far away. Even when you had problems, you would always focus on keeping me strong so I could finish and follow my dreams. You’ve become an expert on the interactions of Vatican diplomacy and Spain during the 1930s—I bet that was never the goal, but it happened! All I can do is write a few words of thanks, but know they are so near to my heart. Abbreviations and Acronyms AES Affari Ecclesiastici Straordinari (Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs of the Vatican). ASV Archivio Segreto Vaticano (Vatican Secret Archives). CEDA Confederación Española de Derechas Autónomas (Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Rights, Right-Wing Parties). CNT Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (National Confederation of Labor). FAI Federación Anarquista Ibérica (Anarchist Federation of Iberia) FE y de las JONS Falange Española de las Juntas Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista (Spanish Phalanx of the Assemblies of the National Syndicalist Offensive). JAP Juventud de Acción Popular (Youth of Popular Action, CEDA Youth Group). JOC Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne (Young Christian Workers). PCE Partido Comunista de España (Communist Party of Spain). PNV Partido Nacionalista Vasco (Basque Nationalist Party). POUM Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista (Worker Party of Marx- ist Unification). PP Partido Popular (Popular Party). PSOE Partido Socialista Obrero Español (Spanish Socialist Worker Party). UGT Unión General de Trabajadores (General Union of Workers).