Diego von Bergen
Encyclopedia
Dr. Carl-Ludwig Diego von
Bergen (1872 - October 7, 1944) was the ambassador to the Holy See
from the Kingdom of Prussia
(1915–1918), the Weimar Republic
(1920–1933), and Nazi Germany
(1933–1943), most notably during the negotiation of the Reichskonkordat
and during World War II
.
From 1930 to 1943, by virtue of seniority, von Bergen was also the doyen
of the diplomatic corps
accredited to the Holy See. This office entitled him to speak at the funeral of Pope Pius XI
in 1939, where he infamously urged the cardinals to elect a new pope who would work with the fascist governments of Europe to build "a new world upon the ruins of a past that in many things has no longer any reason to exist". von Bergen was recalled in 1943, well in excess of the mandatory retirement age for German diplomats, and was replaced by Ernst von Weizsäcker
.
before attending the University of Berlin. He first entered the German diplomatic corps in 1895 as legation secretary at Peking, remaining in China during the Boxer Rebellion
. He also held diplomatic posts in Brussels
and Madrid
before going to Rome. According to a New York Times obituary
, "a man of considerable culture, a fluent linguist, he was said to have never been in sympathy with the Weimar Republic and to have been an early adherent to the National Socialist Regime."
. On April 1, 1919, Matthias Erzberger
persuaded the Republic to "restore the Prussian legation to the Holy See", the only diplomatic appointment that year. Von Bergen was a friend of Erzberger's in the Foreign Office. On September 27, the SPD Foreign Minister Hermann Müller
informed the Reichstag Committee on Foreign Affairs of the establishment of a German embassy to the Vatican. The takeover of the legation had been requested by Prussia and attained the concurrence of the Curia. According to Scholder, "thus the transformation of the Prussian legation into an embassy of the Reich as had happened once before, in 1871, had probably been envisaged from the start". Von Bergen was announced as German ambassador to the Vatican on April 24, 1920.
Erzberger was an advocate of a concordat
between Germany and the Holy See, and announced his intentions at an end of the year banquet in honor of the nuncio; Erzberger advocated negotiations "to be conducted by all Länder
in concert, under the leadership of the Reich". Bavarian Nuncio
Eugenio Pacelli (future Pope Pius XII
) preferred to conclude a separate concordat with Bavaria
, and Joseph Wirth
instructed von Bergen to "work for a change in the Nuncio's position. But this was just as futile as all other attempts to change the Nuncio's mind on this point".
Von Bergen twice refused the office of Foreign Minister of Germany because he preferred to stay in Rome. As the senior ambassador in Rome (since 1930), he was the doyen
of the diplomatic corps
. Von Bergen's counsellor, Menschausen would act on his behalf when he was ill. Menschausen was also named chargé d'affaires
after von Bergen was temporarily withdrawn on June 2, 1937 (this move was echoed by the temporary withdrawing of Cesare Orsenigo
, nuncio to Berlin, and replacing him with a chargé d'affaires) after American Cardinal George Mundelein spoke publicly against Hitler. Von Bergen returned on June 29 after what was publicly described as a "vacation".
. As the dean of the diplomatic corps, von Bergen delivered an address of sympathy on the death of Pope Pius XI
. In the address, he urged the College of Cardinals
to elect a successor who would assist Germany and their allies in building "a new world upon the ruins of a past that in many things has no longer any reason to exist".
Before the papal conclave, 1939
, von Bergen communicated with Pacelli, who related to von Bergen his preference for conciliation towards Nazi Germany. The four German cardinals decided to vote for Pacelli "unless contrary orders reached von Bergen by 28 February". Both Karl Joseph Schulte
and Michael von Faulhaber promised as much to von Bergen, who was confident that Adolf Bertram would follow their lead but unsure about what course of action Theodor Innitzer would undertake. Von Bergen met with the newly elected pope on March 5, three days after the conclave ended.
On March 8, 1939, von Bergen appeared in the Vatican for the first time in months to arrange an audience between Pius XII and Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
; von Bergen was successful, and the meeting took place on March 11. At the meeting, von Ribbentrop offered to allow Cardinal August Hlond return to Poland, which the New York Times reported as "the nearest approach to a temporal power's 'going to Canossa
' that has been seen in recent times." The hour and five minute audience was reportedly "an unprecedented length", followed by a forty-five minute meeting with Cardinal Secretary of State Luigi Maglione (rather than the usual courtesy call with the Secretary), who proceeded immediately afterwards to report to the pope.
On January 13, 1940, the New York Times reported that von Bergen had been "transferred" and that Franz von Papen
(a former Catholic Centre Party
chancellor) had been put forward as a replacement, although the paper believed that "there are good reasons to believe that Herr von Papen would not be a persona gratia". Von Bergen was reported as the ambassador again on January 26, with no mention of von Papen. On March 13, 1940, Germany named two new ministers to their embassy in Rome—Prince Otto Christian Archibald von Bismarck and Baron Johann von Plessen—with von Bismarck expected to succeed von Bergen, who was reported as ill. A list of diplomats accredited to the Vatican published in December 1940 lists von Bergen as the dean of the diplomatic corps, followed by thirteen ambassadors and twenty three ministers, with Myron C. Taylor
conspicuously in last place. When the pope received "many thousands" of holiday greetings that year, von Bergen was accorded the honor being the first to meet with the pope.
Von Bergen also demanded on August 29, 1941 that "all ecclesiastical appointments to important posts in annexed or occupied regions
be first communicated to Berlin". Von Bergen also was able to relay German complaints about Vatican Radio
and obtained an assurance—which angered the British—that the station would stay away from politics. Von Bergen also assured his superiors that the pope would not publicly condemn Nazi persecution and that "the pope's heart, they tell me, is always on the side of the Axis". Von Bergen occasionally relayed threats from von Ribbentrop to the pope, but replied that "Pacelli is no more sensible to threats than we are". Von Bergen asked Pius XII to prevent the bombing of Rome
in September 1942, without asking or even informing his superiors in Berlin. Pius XII drew von Bergen aside after his 1942 Christmas address
and assured him that his criticisms were aimed at Stalin and Russia—not Germany.
Von Bergen was not viewed as sufficiently pro-Nazi and was marginalized for years before being forced from his post in 1943. Von Bergen was recalled on February 27, 1943 to Berlin "for consultation", reportedly to protest the Pope's "frivolous attitude" toward mediating the end of the war. Von Bergen was well past the official age limit for retirement at the time of his recall. In 1943, von Bergen was replaced with Ernst von Weizsäcker
, the former secretary of state at the Foreign Office
. Weizsäcker reported to Berlin after his first meeting with Pius XII that "hostility to Bolshevism is, in fact, the most stable component of Vatican foreign policy" and that the Vatican "detested" the link between the US and Soviet Russia—a message echoed by the departing von Bergen.
, Germany; his death was announced ten days later in L'Osservatore Romano
, which called von Bergen "highly esteemed and unanimously liked". An "acre of ground" at von Bergen's Wiesbaden residence was used by the German General Staff, including Field Marshal Karl von Rundstedt, to argue over how to proceed in the late hours of the war.
Von
In German, von is a preposition which approximately means of or from.When it is used as a part of a German family name, it is usually a nobiliary particle, like the French, Spanish and Portuguese "de". At certain times and places, it has been illegal for anyone who was not a member of the nobility...
Bergen (1872 - October 7, 1944) was the ambassador to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
from the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
(1915–1918), the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
(1920–1933), and Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
(1933–1943), most notably during the negotiation of the Reichskonkordat
Reichskonkordat
The Reichskonkordat is a treaty that was agreed between the Holy See and Nazi government, that guarantees the rights of the Catholic Church in Germany. It was signed on July 20, 1933 by Secretary of State Eugenio Pacelli and Vice Chancellor Franz von Papen on behalf of Pope Pius XI and President...
and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
From 1930 to 1943, by virtue of seniority, von Bergen was also the doyen
Doyen
Doyen is a surname. The word doyen is derived from the French term for dean, e.g. Dean and Dean ....
of the diplomatic corps
Diplomatic corps
The diplomatic corps or corps diplomatique is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body.The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission who represent their countries in another state or country...
accredited to the Holy See. This office entitled him to speak at the funeral of Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
in 1939, where he infamously urged the cardinals to elect a new pope who would work with the fascist governments of Europe to build "a new world upon the ruins of a past that in many things has no longer any reason to exist". von Bergen was recalled in 1943, well in excess of the mandatory retirement age for German diplomats, and was replaced by Ernst von Weizsäcker
Ernst von Weizsäcker
Ernst Freiherr von Weizsäcker was a German diplomat and politician. He served as State Secretary at the Foreign Office from 1938 to 1943, and as German Ambassador to the Holy See from 1943 to 1945...
.
Early life
Von Bergen was born in Siam in 1872, the son of German diplomat, Werner von Bergen, and a Spanish mother, Isabel Maria De Las Mercedes Alcala. von Bergen attended a Catholic school in RoßlebenRoßleben
Roßleben is a town in the Kyffhäuserkreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Unstrut, 22 km southeast of Sangerhausen....
before attending the University of Berlin. He first entered the German diplomatic corps in 1895 as legation secretary at Peking, remaining in China during the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
. He also held diplomatic posts in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
before going to Rome. According to a New York Times obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
, "a man of considerable culture, a fluent linguist, he was said to have never been in sympathy with the Weimar Republic and to have been an early adherent to the National Socialist Regime."
Ambassador to the Holy See
Von Bergen was first accredited to the Holy See in 1915 as a Minister from the Kingdom of PrussiaKingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. On April 1, 1919, Matthias Erzberger
Matthias Erzberger
Matthias Erzberger was a German politician. Prominent in the Centre Party, he spoke out against the First World War from 1917 and eventually signed the Armistice with Germany for the German Empire...
persuaded the Republic to "restore the Prussian legation to the Holy See", the only diplomatic appointment that year. Von Bergen was a friend of Erzberger's in the Foreign Office. On September 27, the SPD Foreign Minister Hermann Müller
Hermann Müller (politician)
' , born in Mannheim, was a German Social Democratic politician who served as Foreign Minister , and twice as Chancellor of Germany under the Weimar Republic...
informed the Reichstag Committee on Foreign Affairs of the establishment of a German embassy to the Vatican. The takeover of the legation had been requested by Prussia and attained the concurrence of the Curia. According to Scholder, "thus the transformation of the Prussian legation into an embassy of the Reich as had happened once before, in 1871, had probably been envisaged from the start". Von Bergen was announced as German ambassador to the Vatican on April 24, 1920.
Erzberger was an advocate of a concordat
Concordat
A concordat is an agreement between the Holy See of the Catholic Church and a sovereign state on religious matters. Legally, they are international treaties. They often includes both recognition and privileges for the Catholic Church in a particular country...
between Germany and the Holy See, and announced his intentions at an end of the year banquet in honor of the nuncio; Erzberger advocated negotiations "to be conducted by all Länder
Länder
Länder or Bundesländer may refer to:* States of Germany, the 16 federal subdivisions of Germany* States of Austria, the 9 federal subdivisions of Austria...
in concert, under the leadership of the Reich". Bavarian Nuncio
Apostolic Nuncio to Bavaria
The Apostolic Nunciature to Bavaria was an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria. It was a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative was called the Apostolic Nuncio to Bavaria, a state – consecutively during the nunciature's existence – of the Holy Roman Empire,...
Eugenio Pacelli (future Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
) preferred to conclude a separate concordat with Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, and Joseph Wirth
Joseph Wirth
Karl Joseph Wirth, known as Joseph Wirth, was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1921 to 1922.-Biography:...
instructed von Bergen to "work for a change in the Nuncio's position. But this was just as futile as all other attempts to change the Nuncio's mind on this point".
Von Bergen twice refused the office of Foreign Minister of Germany because he preferred to stay in Rome. As the senior ambassador in Rome (since 1930), he was the doyen
Doyen
Doyen is a surname. The word doyen is derived from the French term for dean, e.g. Dean and Dean ....
of the diplomatic corps
Diplomatic corps
The diplomatic corps or corps diplomatique is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body.The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission who represent their countries in another state or country...
. Von Bergen's counsellor, Menschausen would act on his behalf when he was ill. Menschausen was also named chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
after von Bergen was temporarily withdrawn on June 2, 1937 (this move was echoed by the temporary withdrawing of Cesare Orsenigo
Cesare Orsenigo
Cesare Vincenzo Orsenigo was Apostolic Nuncio to Germany from 1930 to 1945, during the rise of Nazi Germany and World War II...
, nuncio to Berlin, and replacing him with a chargé d'affaires) after American Cardinal George Mundelein spoke publicly against Hitler. Von Bergen returned on June 29 after what was publicly described as a "vacation".
Election of Pius XII
Von Bergen visited Cardinal Secretary of State Pacelli on September 28, 1938 to discuss the Sudetenland crisisGerman occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
. As the dean of the diplomatic corps, von Bergen delivered an address of sympathy on the death of Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
. In the address, he urged the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
to elect a successor who would assist Germany and their allies in building "a new world upon the ruins of a past that in many things has no longer any reason to exist".
Before the papal conclave, 1939
Papal conclave, 1939
The Papal conclave of 1939 was convoked on the brink of World War II with the death of Pope Pius XI on 10 February that year in the Apostolic Palace. With all 62 living cardinals in attendance, the conclave to elect Pius' successor began on 1 March and ended a day later, on 2 March, after three...
, von Bergen communicated with Pacelli, who related to von Bergen his preference for conciliation towards Nazi Germany. The four German cardinals decided to vote for Pacelli "unless contrary orders reached von Bergen by 28 February". Both Karl Joseph Schulte
Karl Joseph Schulte
Karl Joseph Schulte , was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Cologne from 1920 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1921.-Biography:...
and Michael von Faulhaber promised as much to von Bergen, who was confident that Adolf Bertram would follow their lead but unsure about what course of action Theodor Innitzer would undertake. Von Bergen met with the newly elected pope on March 5, three days after the conclave ended.
World War II
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
; von Bergen was successful, and the meeting took place on March 11. At the meeting, von Ribbentrop offered to allow Cardinal August Hlond return to Poland, which the New York Times reported as "the nearest approach to a temporal power's 'going to Canossa
Walk to Canossa
The Walk to Canossa refers to both the trek itself of Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire from Speyer to the fortress at Canossa in Emilia Romagna and to the events surrounding his journey, which took place in and around January 1077.-Historical background:When, in his early...
' that has been seen in recent times." The hour and five minute audience was reportedly "an unprecedented length", followed by a forty-five minute meeting with Cardinal Secretary of State Luigi Maglione (rather than the usual courtesy call with the Secretary), who proceeded immediately afterwards to report to the pope.
On January 13, 1940, the New York Times reported that von Bergen had been "transferred" and that Franz von Papen
Franz von Papen
Lieutenant-Colonel Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933–1934...
(a former Catholic Centre Party
Centre Party (Germany)
The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
chancellor) had been put forward as a replacement, although the paper believed that "there are good reasons to believe that Herr von Papen would not be a persona gratia". Von Bergen was reported as the ambassador again on January 26, with no mention of von Papen. On March 13, 1940, Germany named two new ministers to their embassy in Rome—Prince Otto Christian Archibald von Bismarck and Baron Johann von Plessen—with von Bismarck expected to succeed von Bergen, who was reported as ill. A list of diplomats accredited to the Vatican published in December 1940 lists von Bergen as the dean of the diplomatic corps, followed by thirteen ambassadors and twenty three ministers, with Myron C. Taylor
Myron Charles Taylor
Myron Charles Taylor was one of the major figures in American life during the first half of the twentieth century...
conspicuously in last place. When the pope received "many thousands" of holiday greetings that year, von Bergen was accorded the honor being the first to meet with the pope.
Von Bergen also demanded on August 29, 1941 that "all ecclesiastical appointments to important posts in annexed or occupied regions
Reorganization of occupied dioceses during World War II
The reorganization of occupied dioceses during World War II was an issue faced by Pope Pius XII of whether to extend the apostolic authority of Catholic bishops from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy to German-occupied Europe during World War II....
be first communicated to Berlin". Von Bergen also was able to relay German complaints about Vatican Radio
Vatican Radio
Vatican Radio is the official broadcasting service of the Vatican.Set up in 1931 by Guglielmo Marconi, today its programs are offered in 47 languages, and are sent out on short wave , medium wave, FM, satellite and the Internet. The Jesuit Order has been charged with the management of Vatican...
and obtained an assurance—which angered the British—that the station would stay away from politics. Von Bergen also assured his superiors that the pope would not publicly condemn Nazi persecution and that "the pope's heart, they tell me, is always on the side of the Axis". Von Bergen occasionally relayed threats from von Ribbentrop to the pope, but replied that "Pacelli is no more sensible to threats than we are". Von Bergen asked Pius XII to prevent the bombing of Rome
Bombing of Rome in World War II
The bombing of Rome in World War II took place on several occasions in 1943 and 1944, primarily by Allied and to a smaller degree by Axis aircraft, before the city was freed from Axis occupation by the Allies on June 4, 1944...
in September 1942, without asking or even informing his superiors in Berlin. Pius XII drew von Bergen aside after his 1942 Christmas address
Pope Pius XII's 1942 Christmas address
Pope Pius XII's 1942 Christmas address was an annual speech delivered by Pope Pius XII over Vatican Radio on Christmas 1942.-Background:Pius XII possessed a specific knowledge of the Holocaust that rivaled that of the Allied governments...
and assured him that his criticisms were aimed at Stalin and Russia—not Germany.
Recall
Ernst von Weizsäcker
Ernst Freiherr von Weizsäcker was a German diplomat and politician. He served as State Secretary at the Foreign Office from 1938 to 1943, and as German Ambassador to the Holy See from 1943 to 1945...
, the former secretary of state at the Foreign Office
Foreign Office (Germany)
The Foreign Office is the foreign ministry of Germany, a federal agency responsible for both the country's foreign politics and its relationship with the European Union. From 1871 to 1919, it was led by a Foreign Secretary, and since 1919, it has been led by the Foreign Minister of Germany...
. Weizsäcker reported to Berlin after his first meeting with Pius XII that "hostility to Bolshevism is, in fact, the most stable component of Vatican foreign policy" and that the Vatican "detested" the link between the US and Soviet Russia—a message echoed by the departing von Bergen.
Death
Von Bergen died on October 7, 1944 in WiesbadenWiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
, Germany; his death was announced ten days later in L'Osservatore Romano
L'Osservatore Romano
L'Osservatore Romano is the "semi-official" newspaper of the Holy See. It covers all the Pope's public activities, publishes editorials by important churchmen, and runs official documents after being released...
, which called von Bergen "highly esteemed and unanimously liked". An "acre of ground" at von Bergen's Wiesbaden residence was used by the German General Staff, including Field Marshal Karl von Rundstedt, to argue over how to proceed in the late hours of the war.