Celestino Endrici

Celestino Endrici

An Italian Prince Bishop

1918-1940

My PhD project

Celestino Endrici

QUESTIONS

TIME FRAME

Endrici dies in Trento

1918-1940

July - Office for the New Provinces was created by the Italian Government, Luigi Credaro was appointed as Governor of Venezia Tridentina (Trentino)

September - Treaty of Saint Germain, Trentino is annexted by Italy (also Venezia Giulia)

"Ciclone devastatore" (Devastating tornado)

Fascist squads break into the headquarters of the main Catholic organizations, destroing the typography and taking control over the their boards

Born in Don

Alta Anaunia

Appointed Prince Bishop of Trento

• Appointment up to the Emperor, subsequently validated by the Pope

Foundation of the Popular Party of Trentino

He was supported by auxiliary bishops since 1935, after he had a stroke in September 1934:

• Enrico Montalbetti, 1935-1938, then promoted as Bishop of Reggio Calabria
• Oreste Rauzi, 1938-1940, he already was Endrici's associate

1922

1929

1916-1918

1885-1892

1919

1926

1940

1904

1866

Focus on the Interwar period and Endrici's relationship with Italian civil authorities and his political actions

• Scarce literature both on Endrici and on Trentino in that time
• Large amount of Endrici's personal documents

VATICAN FOREIGN POLICY

Can a bishop be considered as a representative of the Vatican, and subsequently an agent of Vatican foreign policy?

REPUTATION

What stance should a bishop have to assert an influence on political matters?

TRANSITION

Is a bishop's political action affected by changes in the civil authorities?

Trento becomes an Archdiocese on Endrici's 25th episcopal anniversary

Concordat between Italy and the Holy See (creating the Vatican City State)

Since the summer 1921, Endrici is hospitalized in private institutions due to mental health issues

October - Mussolini and the Fascist Party take control over the government

• In Trentino Credaro is removed and the transition abruptly stopped

Studies in Rome under the influence of Lio XIII social teachings

Rerum Novarum 1891

During WWI Endrici was held in the abbey of Heiligenkreuz (near Wien), by the Austrian authorities

November 3rd - Italian amry enters in Trento

November 13th Endrici comes back to Trento

IMPORTANT TOPICS

FASCISM

1922-1940

TRANSITION

1918-1922

STATE OF THE ART

Vatican

GEOGRAPHICAL FRAME

AGENT OF VATICAN FOREIGN POLICY

Card. Gasparri to Endrici in 1919

THE INVENTION OF A MYTH

Transition

«Dealing with the Memorandum, You mentioned in that same letter, I not only consider it suitable, but I also strongly encourage Your Eminence to present it and to persist, with all the weight that You have, so that those requests were to be accepted.»

Not just a biography, but something more

Endrici undertook individual action

«While I plead it to that effect to central authorities, I would be glad that Your Eminence – when possible – put in a good word with the local authorities.»

Diary during the captivity 1916-1918

lead to

Vigilio Zanolini - director of the Seminary in Trento

Vita e Pensiero - Publishing house of the Catholic University in Milan (Father Gemelli)

Fascism

BISHOPS

OF THE NEW PROVINCES

To the minister of Cult

To Gasparri

On Endrici

• Benvenuti Sergio, I Principi Vescovi di Trento fra Roma e Vienna: 1861-1918, 1988.
• Corsini Umberto (A cura di), Celestino Endrici (1866-1940) Vescovo di Trento. Atti del Convegno: Trento, 23 maggio 1991, 1992.
• Costa Armando, I vescovi di Trento: Notizie, profili, 1977.
• Rogger Iginio, Endrici, Celestino, in Dizionario biografico degli italiani, 1993.
• Zanolini Vigilio, Il Vescovo di Trento e il governo austriaco durante la Guerra europea, 1919.

On Trentino in the Interwar period

• Calì Vincenzo, Lo stato liberale e l’avvento del fascismo, in O. Bariè, Storia del trentino contemporaneo: dall’annessione all’autonomia, vol. 1, 1978.
• Di Michele Andrea, L’italianizzazione imperfetta : l’amministrazione pubblica dell’Alto Adige tra Italia liberale e fascismo, 2003.
• Rasera Fabrizio, Dal regime provvisorio al regime fascista (1919-1937), in P. Pombeni – A. Leonardi (A cura di), Storia del Trentino. L’età contemporanea. Novecento, 2007

On Fascism in Trentino

• Benvenuti Sergio, Il fascismo nella Venezia Tridentina: 1919-1924, 1976.
• Faustini Giorgio, Il fascismo nel Trentino, 2002.
• Piccoli Paolo, Lo stato totalitario, in O. Bariè (A cura di), Storia del Trentino contemporaneo: dall’annessione all’autonomia, vol. 1, 978

«In order to proceed with uniform criteria and practical attitudes facing possible measures concerning the clery, Churches and schools, I suggest that the Bishop of the new provinces meet together to exchange ideas».

Endrici to the Bishops of the new Italian provinces, 7 gennaio 1921

SOURCES

Transition

Acta Episcopi Endrici

Fondo del Comitato Diocesano dell'Azione Cattolica

Fondo della Giunta Diocesana dell'Azione Cattolica

Endrici asks for action by the Holy See

Diplomatic action to avoid retaliations

Scritti e note giovanili di mons. Guido De Gentili

Mons. Celestino Endrici

Dr. Leopoldo Pergher

Mons. Prof. Vigilio Zanolini

Fondo Enrico Conci

Fondo Ettore Tolomei

Fondo del Governatorato Militare

Archivio Diocesano Trentino

Biblioteca Diocesana

Archivio del Museo Storico

Archivio Provinciale

Federazione dei consorzi cooperativi

Fondo della Giunta provinciale

Carte Luigi Credaro

Ministero Interno

• Sezione Generale Affari di Culto
• Divisione Generale Pubblica Sicurezza, Divisione affari Generali e Riservati, G1 Associazioni

Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione

Fascism

Rappresentanze Pontificie, Italia

Rappresentanze Pontificie, Vienna

Fondo Congregazione Concistoriale

Fondo Culti, Carte Monti

Segreteria di Stato

Archivio Centrale dello Stato

Archivio storico del Ministero degli Affari Esteri

Archivio Segreto Vaticano

Archivio storico della Segreteria di Stato Vaticana

Archivio storico dell'Azione Cattolica Italiana

Archivio storico del Collegio Germanico Ungarico

Archives in Trento

«The royal government would want to take into consideration the sacrifices made by the Clergy especially in the last years to defend the Italian character of Trentino in the struggle with strong German societies, with a tireless, effective work and in particularly difficult and distressing situations, always under the watchful eye of the Austrian police».

Endrici to the Italian Minister of Religious Affairs, 1919

Ambasciata d'Italia presso la Santa Sede

Presidenza Generale, parte 1

Gioventù italiana di Azione Cattolica

Affari Ecclesiastici Straordinari

• Parte III, Austria
• Parte III, Italia
• Parte IV, Austria
• Parte IV, Italia

Archives in Rome

Archivio Diocesano di Bressanone

Archivio del Comune di Don

Biblioteca del Centro studi per la Val di Sole - Fondo Ciccolini

«I would like to give you an advice. Bishops should not undertake collective action and do public outcries against the decree of the 24th Sep. Not only, it would not produce a positive outcome, but it would also take away any hope, due to the exceptional political situation. I think bishops should limit themselves to objectively explain to Minister Gentile that it is morally impossible to teach Catechism in Italian in the first classes, and to ask to do it in their mother tongue, not else. I think the Minister would be open at such a plead. Secondly, bishops should keep informed the Holy See. I believe it is the only way to succeed. Formal complains both to the Government and through the public would not have other effect than take away any chance at a solution».

Endrici to Borgia Sedej, Prince Bishop of Gorizia, 30 novembre 1923

Other archives

Focus on the Italian speaking part of the diocese

• Problem of the border
• Problem of the archives

Costa, Armando. La Chiesa di Dio che vive in Trento: compendio di notizie e dati. Trento: Edizioni diocesane, 1986

War experience as pivotal

Episcopal Conferences of Triveneto

CYCLOTHYMIA

Endrici's mental health was deeply affected by the captivity in Heiligenkreuz

Endrici was hospitalized three time between the summer of 1921 and the summer of 1922 in private Sanatoriums

• Maria Grün in Graz
• Martinsbrunn in Meran
• Clinica Carlo Arnaldi in Uscio (Genova)

Moments of high activity and then moments of depression

The Vatican sent an inspector to Trento in April 1922, but ultimately did not take any action

Not strong public actions

A GREAT SOCIAL BISHOP

CELESTINO ENDRICI. AN ITALIAN PRINCE BISHOP

«Individuals alone, no matter how good, but still isolated are not able to react to the evil organizations. Collective action are today a necessity in order to assert ourselves, to make us heard and respected. Therefore all the priests should have a good people's organization by their side, otherwise when the time to fight comes his army would be in disarray. As good as the soldiers could be, they will be divided and isolated.»

Endrici to the deans, 1919

Camilla Tenaglia

Table of contents

The Catholic organization in Trentino were never studied as part of a unitary system.

A PROSOPOGRAPHY to assess the extent of Endrici's network.

A chronology of Catholic associations in Trentino

Historic section

1890 - First Cooperative store in Bleggio

1895 - Federation of Cooperative stores and Cooperative credit institutions

1896 - "Fede e lavoro" satirical magazine in dialect - Endrici main writer

1898 - Catholic Action diocesan committee - Endrici as secretary

1899 - Catholic Bank of Trentino

1899 - SAIT, institution for centralized distribution of goods to stores

1904 - Popular Party - Endrici was involved in the early stages of the project

1906 - Alcide De Gasperi editor of the main Catholic newspaper "Il Trentino" (before "La voce cattolica")

1910 - Catholic women association - never truly important

1919 - Family men federation - Endrici's idea

1924 - Catholic Action restructured to follow national rules

1926 - Fascist squads break into the headquarters of the main Catholic organizations and take control over the their boards

University of Trento

Italienisch-Deutsche Historiches Institut - Trento

camilla.tenaglia@unitn.it

The last Austrian Prince Bishop

• 1866-1918
• Endrici before Endrici, appointment, pre-war period, WWI, the invention of a myth

An incomplete transition

• 1918-1922
• Military governor, Civil governor, Endrici's battles (schools, diocesan borders)

Endrici facing fascism

• 1923-1940
• Fascism in Trentino, November 1926, South Tyrol and the Option Agreement

Agent of Vatican diplomacy

• Endrici and the Holy See, the bishops of Italian new provinces

A great social bishop

• Endrici and the laity, prosopography of Catholic organizations

253 People

Major changes after 1926 (fascism), not after 1918 (war and annexation)

Systemic section