This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (November 2010)

A Celtic Christian Cross, a symbol of the Catholic Church and Christianity in Ireland

An Irish American flag.^[1][2]

Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish (or of Irish descent). The term is not used to describe a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be. Neither does the term mean that it is an Autonomous ("sui iuris") Particular Church/Rite, such as Greek Catholic or Chaldean Catholic.

Divisions between Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants (both those who would eventually be called the Protestant Ascendancy and those Protestants of more humble societal position) have played a major role in the history of Ireland from the 16th century (especially the Reformation in Ireland movement) to the 20th century (especially The Troubles movement). While religion broadly marks the delineation of these divisions, the contentions were primarily related to access to power. For example, while the majority of Irish Catholics saw themselves as having an identity independent of Britain, and were therefore excluded from power, many of the instigators in rebellions against British rule were in fact Protestant. During the Irish Rebellion of 1798, both Catholics and Protestants other than those of the established, or British state church, found common cause, as they both endured discrimination based on not being part of the established church.

Irish Catholics can be found in many countries around the world, the English speaking world especially. Emigration was often initiated by duress as was the case with the Great Irish Famine in the late 1840s, following which the population declined by over half in the following century (from approx. over 8 million to just over 4 million) in the short term due to death from starvation and disease, but in the long term due to the pattern of immigration begun then. The term has currency in the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Some of these nations had, or have, a majority of Protestants; thus, both aspects – being Catholic, and being Irish – at times separated them from the mainstream culture. In the United States, hostility to both these aspects was expressed through the Know-Nothing movement and Nativism in general.

See also[link]

• Celtic Christianity
• Roman Catholicism in Ireland
• Saint Patrick's Day
• Irish American
• Irish Australian
• Irish Canadian
• Irish diaspora
• Irish migration to Britain
• Irish Newfoundlander
• Irish people
• Irish Scots
• Know-Nothings
• Nativists
• Penal Laws
• Anti-Catholicism

References[link]

• ISBN 0-8132-0896-3
• ISBN 978-0-8132-0896-1

Footnotes[link]

• The Irish Cultural, Political, Social, and Religious Heritages
• Ireland: The Rise of Irish Nationalism, 1801-1850
• Emigrants and Immigrants
• Communities in Conflict: American Nativists and Irish Catholics
• Irish-American Politics
• Irish America and the Course of Irish Nationalism
• From Ghetto to Suburbs: From Someplace to Noplace?
• Endnotes

External links[link]

• Library of Congress
• Ancient Order of Hibernians (in America) webpage
• Ancient Order of Hibernians (in Minnesota) webpage
• The Irish Catholic Diaspora in America, describes the book ISBN 0-8132-0896-3
• On Irish Catholics of Australia

Tim Russert
Tim Russert, October 22, 2007
Born	Timothy John Russert (1950-05-07)May 7, 1950 Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Died	June 13, 2008(2008-06-13) (aged 58) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education	B.A. in Political Science, 1972 John Carroll University, J.D., 1976 Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Canisius High School 68'
Occupation	Journalist
Notable credit(s)	Meet the Press moderator (1991–2008), NBC Nightly News correspondent, NBC News Washington Bureau Chief, host of Tim Russert
Political party	Democrat
Religion	Roman Catholic
Spouse	Maureen Orth (m. 1983–2008, his death)
Children	Luke Russert
Website
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4459759/

Timothy John "Tim" Russert (May 7, 1950 – June 13, 2008) was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's Meet the Press. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Washington bureau chief and also hosted an eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview program. He was a frequent correspondent and guest on NBC's The Today Show and Hardball. Russert covered several presidential elections, and he presented the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey on the NBC Nightly News during the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Time magazine included Russert in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008.^[1] Russert was posthumously revealed as a 30-year source for syndicated columnist Robert Novak.^[2]

Early life[link]

Russert was born in Buffalo, New York to Irish American Catholic parents Elizabeth (Betty), a homemaker, and Timothy Joseph "Big Russ" Russert (November 29, 1923 – September 24, 2009),^[3] a sanitation worker.^[4][5] Elizabeth and Joseph were married for 30 years before separating in 1976.^[6] He was the second of four children; his sisters are Betty Ann (B.A.), Kathleen (Kathy) and Patricia (Trish).^[6] He received a Jesuit education^[7] from Canisius High School in Buffalo.

He received his B.A. in 1972 from John Carroll University and a Juris Doctor with honors from the Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1976.^[4] Russert commented on Meet the Press that he went to Woodstock, "in a Buffalo Bills jersey with a case of beer." While in law school, an official from his alma mater, John Carroll University, called Russert to ask if he could book some concerts for the school as he had done while a student. He agreed, but said he would need to be paid because he was running out of money to pay for law school. One concert that Russert booked was headlined by a then-unknown singer, Bruce Springsteen, who charged $2,500 for the concert appearance. Russert told this story to Jay Leno when he was a guest on The Tonight Show on NBC on June 6, 2006.^[8] John Carroll University has since named its Department of Communications and Theatre Arts in Russert's honor.^[9]

Professional career[link]

Political[link]

Prior to becoming host of Meet the Press, Russert worked as a special counsel, and later as chief of staff, to U.S. Senator Daniel Moynihan, a Democrat from New York. In 1983, he became the counsel to New York Governor Mario Cuomo, also a Democrat.

[edit] NBC News: Washington bureau chief and host of Meet the Press

He was hired by NBC News' Washington bureau the following year and became bureau chief by 1989. Russert assumed the job of host of the Sunday morning program Meet the Press in 1991, and would become the longest serving host of the program. Its name was changed to Meet the Press with Tim Russert, and, at his suggestion, went to an hour-long format in 1992. The show also shifted to a greater focus on in-depth interviews with high profile guests, where Russert was known especially for his extensive preparatory research. One approach he developed was to find old quotes or video clips that were inconsistent with guests' more recent statements, present them on-air to his guests and then ask them to clarify their positions. With Russert as host the show became increasingly popular, receiving more than four million viewers per week, and it was recognized as one of the most important sources of political news. Time magazine named Russert one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008, and Russert often moderated political campaign debates.^[10]

Political coverage and debates[link]

During NBC's coverage of the 2000 presidential election, Russert calculated possible Electoral College outcomes using a whiteboard (now in the Smithsonian Institution) on the air and memorably summed up the outcome as dependent upon "Florida, Florida, Florida."^[11] TV Guide described the scene as "one of the 100 greatest moments in TV history."^[12] Russert again accurately predicted the final battleground of the presidential elections of 2004: "Ohio, Ohio, Ohio." On the MSNBC show Tucker, Russert predicted the battleground states of the 2008 presidential election would be New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada, saying, "If Democrats can win three of those four, they can lose Ohio and Florida, and win the presidency."^[13]

Red states and blue states[link]

According to The Washington Post, the phrases red states and blue states were coined by Tim Russert, although in that same article Russert states that he wasn't the first to use the terminology.^[14][15] This term refers to those states of the United States of America whose residents predominantly vote for the Republican Party (red) or Democratic Party (blue) presidential candidates, respectively. John Chancellor, Russert's NBC colleague, is credited with using red and blue to represent the states on a US map for the 1976 presidential election, but at that time Republican states were blue, and Democratic states were red. Mainstream political discussion following the 2000 presidential election used red state/blue state more frequently.

CIA leak scandal[link]

In the Plame affair, Scooter Libby, convicted chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, told special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that Russert told him of the identity of Central Intelligence Agency officer Valerie Plame (Mrs. Joseph C. Wilson). Russert testified previously, and again in United States v. I. Lewis Libby, that he would neither testify whether he spoke with Libby nor would he describe the conversation.^[16][17] Russert did say, however, that Plame's identity as a CIA operative was not leaked to him.^[16] Russert testified again in the trial on February 7, 2007.^[18] According to the Washington Post, Russert testified that "when any senior government official calls him, they are presumptively off the record," saying: "when I talk to senior government officials on the phone, it's my own policy our conversations are confidential. If I want to use anything from that conversation, then I will ask permission."^[19]

At the trial, the prosecution asserted that a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent had called Russert regarding Russert's phone call with Libby, and that Russert had told the agent that the subject of Plame had not come up during his conversation with Libby.^[18] Russert was posthumously revealed as a thirty-year source of columnist Robert Novak, whose original article revealed Plame's affiliation with the CIA. In a Slate.com article, Jack Shafer argued that "the Novak-Russert relationship poses a couple of questions. [...] Russert's long service as an anonymous source to Novak...requires further explanation."^[20] In a posthumous commentary, the L.A. Times wrote that, "Like former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, Russert was one of the high-level Washington journalists who came out of the Libby trial looking worse than shabby." The article's author, Tim Rutten, argued that although Russert and NBC had claimed that these conversations were protected by journalistic privilege, "it emerged under examination [that] Russert already had sung like a choirboy to the FBI concerning his conversation with Libby—and had so voluntarily from the first moment the Feds contacted him. All the litigation was for the sake of image and because the journalistic conventions required it."^[21]

Iraq War[link]

In the lead up to the Iraq War, Meet the Press featured interviews with top government officials including Vice President Dick Cheney. CBS Evening News correspondent Anthony Mason praised Russert's interview techniques: "In 2003, as the United States prepared to go to war in Iraq, Russert pressed Vice President Dick Cheney about White House assumptions." However, Salon.com reported a statement from Cheney press aide Cathie Martin regarding advice she says she offered when the Bush administration had to respond to charges that it manipulated pre-Iraq War intelligence: "I suggested we put the vice president on Meet the Press, which was a tactic we often used. It's our best format."^[22] David Folkenflik quoted Russert in his May 19, 2004, Baltimore Sun article:

Folkenflik went on to write:

In the 2007 PBS documentary, Buying the War, Russert commented:

2008 presidential debate[link]

At the February debate, Russert was criticized for what some perceived as disproportionately tough questioning of Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton.^[23] Among the questions, Russert had asked Clinton, but not Obama, to provide the name of the new Russian President (Dmitry Medvedev).^[23] This was later parodied on Saturday Night Live. In October 2007, liberal commentators accused Russert of harassing Clinton over the issue of supporting drivers' licenses for illegal immigrants.^[24]

Enthusiasm for sports[link]

Russert grew up as a New York Yankees fan, switching his allegiance to the Nationals when they were established in Washington, D.C. Russert held season tickets to both the Washington Nationals and the Washington Wizards^[25] and was elected to the board of directors of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 2003.

A lifelong fan of the Buffalo Bills football team, Russert often closed Sunday broadcasts during the football season with a statement of encouragement for the franchise. The team released a statement on the day of his death, saying that listening to Russert's "Go Bills" exhortation was part of their Sunday morning game preparation.^[26] He once prayed publicly on the show with his father when the Bills were going for the Super Bowl for the fourth consecutive time before Super Bowl XXVIII.^[27] On July 23, 2008, U.S. Route 20 leading to the Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York was renamed the "Timothy J. Russert Highway".^[28]

Russert was also a Buffalo Sabres fan and appeared on an episode of Meet the Press next to the Stanley Cup during a Sabres playoff run. While his son was attending Boston College, he often ended Meet the Press with a mention of the success of various Boston College sports teams.

Author[link]

Russert penned a best-selling autobiography, Big Russ and Me^[6] in 2004, which chronicled his life growing up in the predominantly Irish American working-class neighborhood of South Buffalo and his education at Canisius High School. Russert's father Timothy Joseph Russert, "Big Russ," was a World War II veteran who held down two jobs after the war, emphasized the importance of maintaining strong family values, the reverence of faith, and never taking a short cut to reach a goal. Russert claimed to have received over 60,000 letters from people in response to the book, detailing their own experiences with their fathers.^[13][29] He released Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons in 2005, a collection of some of these letters. This book also became a best-seller.

Cameo television appearance[link]

Russert made a cameo appearance in 1995 on the critically acclaimed police drama, Homicide: Life on the Street. He played the cousin of fictional Baltimore homicide detective Megan Russert.^[30] He was mentioned by name again on the show in 1996, when it was said that he had introduced his "cousin" to a French diplomat, with whom she then went abroad.^[31] Homicide executive producer Tom Fontana attended the same Buffalo high school as Russert.^[32]

Awards[link]

During his career, Russert received 48 honorary doctorates and won several awards for excellence in journalism, including the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, the John Peter Zenger Freedom of the Press Award, the American Legion Journalism Award, the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Journalism Award, the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism, the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Communication and the Catholic Academy for Communication's Gabriel Award. Russert also received an Emmy Award in 2005 for his coverage of the funeral of former President Ronald Reagan.^[33]

Personal life[link]

Russert met Maureen Orth at the 1976 Democratic National Convention; they married in 1983 at the Basilica de San Miguel in Madrid, Spain. Orth has been a special correspondent for Vanity Fair since 1993.

Their son, Luke,^[34] graduated from Boston College in 2008. He hosts the XM Radio show 60/20 Sports with James Carville, and was an intern with ESPN's Pardon the Interruption and NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien. On July 31, 2008, NBC News announced that Luke Russert would serve as an NBC News correspondent covering the youth perspective on the 2008 United States presidential election.^[35]

The Russert family lived in northwest Washington, D.C.^[4] and also spent time at a vacation home on Nantucket Island, where Tim served on the board of several non-profit organizations.^[36]

Russert, a devout Catholic, said many times he had made a promise to God to never miss Sunday Mass if his son were born healthy. In his writing and in his news reporting, Russert spoke openly and fondly of his Catholic school education and of the role of the Catholic Church in his life. He was an outspoken supporter of Catholic education on all levels.^[37] Russert said that his father, a sanitation worker who never finished high school, "worked two jobs all his life so his four kids could go to Catholic school, and those schools changed my life." He also spoke warmly of the Catholic nuns who taught him. "Sister Mary Lucille founded a school newspaper and appointed me editor and changed my life," he said. Teachers in Catholic schools "taught me to read and write, but also how to tell right from wrong."^[37]

Russert also contributed his time to numerous Catholic charities. He was particularly devoted and concerned for the welfare of street kids in the United States and children whose lives were lost to street violence.^[37] He told church workers attending the 2005 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering that "if there's an issue that Democrats, Republicans, conservatives and liberals can agree on, it's our kids."^[37]

Russert's favorite beer was Rolling Rock, and, at his funeral, fellow anchor Tom Brokaw brought and raised a Rolling Rock in Russert's memory.^[38]

Shortly before his death, he had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI during his trip to Italy. He was also scheduled to give the Catholic Common Ground Initiative's Philip J. Murnion Lecture on June 27, 2008 at The Catholic University of America. He was replaced by NBC Anchor Brian Williams. Russert's Catholic life and what it might teach the Church was the topic of William's lecture. Russert was the commencement speaker at Saint Joseph's University in summer of 2005.

Death[link]

Wikinews has related news: Tim Russert, NBC News "Meet the Press" moderator dies at age 58

Shortly after 1:30 pm on June 13, 2008, Russert collapsed at the offices of WRC-TV, which houses the Washington, D.C. bureau of NBC News where he was chief. He was recording voiceovers for the Sunday edition of Meet the Press. According to Brian Williams, during his speech at the Kennedy Center on June 13, Russert's last words were, "What's happening?" spoken as a greeting to NBC Washington bureau editing supervisor Candace Harrington.^[39] He then collapsed. A co-worker began CPR on him. The District of Columbia Fire and Rescue service received a call from NBC at 1:40 pm, and dispatched an EMS unit which arrived at 1:44 pm. Paramedics attempted to defibrillate Russert's heart three times, but he did not respond. Russert was then transported to Sibley Memorial Hospital, arriving at 2:23 pm, where he was pronounced dead.^[40] He was 58 years old.

In accordance with American journalistic tradition, the public announcement of Russert's death was withheld by both the wire services and his network's competitors,^[41] until Russert's family had been notified. Retired NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw then delivered, live on NBC, CNBC and MSNBC, the news of his death. NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams was on assignment in Afghanistan and could not anchor the special report.^[42] Russert had just returned from a family vacation in Rome, Italy, where he had celebrated his son's graduation from Boston College.^[43] While his wife and son remained in Rome, Russert had returned to prepare for his Sunday television show.^[44]

Russert's longtime friend and physician, Dr. Michael Newman, said that his asymptomatic coronary artery disease had been controlled with medication and exercise, and that he had performed well on a stress test in late April. An autopsy performed on the day of his death determined that his history of coronary artery disease led to a myocardial infarction (heart attack) and ventricular fibrillation with the immediate cause being an occlusive coronary thrombosis in the left anterior descending artery resulting from a ruptured cholesterol plaque, called a "widow maker".^[45]

Russert is buried at Rock Creek Cemetery, next to the historic Soldiers' Home, in Washington's Petworth neighborhood.^[46] The Newseum in Washington, D.C., has a re-creation of Russert's office.

Reaction[link]

A makeshift memorial at WRC-TV, the site of studios for Meet the Press

On the evening of his death, the entire, nearly commercial-free half hour of NBC Nightly News was dedicated to Russert's memory. Bill and Hillary Clinton released a joint statement saying Russert "had a love of public service and a dedication to journalism that rightfully earned him the respect and admiration of not only his colleagues but also those of us who had the privilege to go toe to toe with him." Many of his colleagues in both newspaper and television reporting also offered tribute to Russert in this and other programs.^[47][48] Other major news agencies, including CBS, ABC, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC spent large segments of their programming on June 13 reporting about Russert's life and career.^[49] Bruce Springsteen, a friend of Russert's, gave an on-stage tribute to Russert while performing in Cardiff, Wales, on June 14 and again at Russert's televised Kennedy Center memorial service, calling him "an important irreplaceable voice in American journalism" and offering condolences to his family.^[50] On the June 13, 2008, episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, O'Brien simply walked onto the stage at the start of the show. Instead of his usual upbeat antics and monologue, O'Brien announced that he had just received news about the sudden death of his good friend, fellow NBC employee and frequent Late Night guest Tim Russert. O'Brien proceeded to show two clips of his favorite Russert Late Night moments.^[51]

Some journalists criticized the amount of media coverage that Russert's death received. Jack Shafer of Slate called NBC's coverage a "never-ending video wake."^[52] Washington Post writer Paul Farhi also expressed disapproval, noting that a print journalist would likely not have received similar attention.^[53] Chicago Tribune columnist Julia Keller questioned the volume of coverage as well as the labeling of Russert's death as "a national tragedy."^[54]

Career timeline[link]

Political career

• 1977–1982 — chief of staff to Daniel Patrick Moynihan
• 1983–1984 — counselor to Mario Cuomo

Broadcast career

• 1984–1988 — senior vice president of NBC News' Washington operations
• 1995—Homicide: Life on the Street (cameo appearance as self, but as fictitious cousin of Captain Megan Russert)
• 1988–2008 — Washington bureau chief of NBC News
• 1991–2008 — moderator of Meet the Press
• 1992–2006 — co-anchor of NBC News' election night coverage

Debates moderated

• 1991 — Ex-Gov. Edwin Edwards and State Rep. David Duke, candidates for Governor of Louisiana ^[55]
• 1994 — Gov. Lawton Chiles and Jeb Bush, candidates for Governor of Florida^[56]
• 1998 — Sen. Bob Graham vs. State Sen. Charlie Crist, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida^[56]
• January 2000 — in New Hampshire involving Republican candidates for President^[57]
• January 2000 — in New Hampshire involving Democratic candidates for President^[57]
• 2000 — Bill McCollum vs. Bill Nelson, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida^[56]
• September 2000 — in Buffalo Rep. Rick Lazio and First Lady Hillary Clinton, candidates for U.S. Senate from New York^[58]
• October 2000 — involving candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida^[59]
• 2002 — Bill McBride and Gov. Jeb Bush, candidates for Governor of Florida ^[56]
• 2002 — Shannon O'Brien vs. Mitt Romney, candidates for Governor of Massachusetts ^[60]
• 2004 — Betty Castor and HUD Secretary Mel Martinez, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida^[56]
• October 2005 — Jerry Kilgore and Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, candidates for governor of Virginia^[61]
• November 2006 — in Orlando Sen. Bill Nelson and Rep. Katherine Harris, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida^[62]
• September 2007 — in New Hampshire involving Democratic candidates for U.S. President^[63]
• November 2007 — (co-moderator) of debate in Philadelphia involving Democratic candidates for U.S. president
• January 2008 — in Boca Raton, Florida involving Republican candidates for President^[64]
• January 2008 — in Las Vegas, Nevada involving Democratic candidates for President^[65]
• March 2008 — (co-moderator) at Cleveland State between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, Democratic candidates for U.S. President

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Russert, Tim. Interview with President George W. Bush. Transcript. NBC News' Meet the Press. MSNBC February 8, 2004. Accessed February 10, 2007.
• Russert, Tim. Interview with Sen. John Kerry, D-MA, presidential candidate. Transcript. NBC News' Meet the Press. MSNBC April 18, 2004. Accessed February 10, 2007.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tim Russert

• Tim Russert – MSNBC biography
• Booknotes interview with Russert on Meet the Press: 50 Years of History in the Making, December 7, 1997.
• Remembering Tim Russert
• Print media's reaction to Russert's death in the Newseum archive of front page images from 2008-06-14.
• NBC's Tim Russert on Myspace
• Tim Russert at Find-A-Grave
• A Tribute to Tim Russert '72 – John Carroll University video tribute
• Tim Russert Archive of American Television Interview

Humani generis unitas (Latin for On the Unity of the Human Race) was a planned encyclical of Pope Pius XI before his death on February 10, 1939, which condemned antisemitism, racism and the persecution of Jews. Because it was never promulgated, it is sometimes referred to as "The Hidden Encyclical" or "The Lost Encyclical."

History[link]

In June 1938, Pius XI summoned American Jesuit John LaFarge, who began to prepare a draft of Humani Generis Unitas, which LaFarge and two other Jesuits—Gustav Gundlach and Gustave Desbuquois^[1]—worked on in Paris;^[2] the draft was approximately 100 pages long.^[3] Another Jesuit translated the draft encyclical into Latin, presenting it to Vladimir Ledochowski, then the General of the Society of Jesus^[4]—who had chosen Gundlach and Desbuquois for the project.^[1] The draft encyclical was delivered to the Vatican in September 1938.^[1]

Some secondary sources—as well as Cardinal Tisserant the Dean of the College of Cardinals^[5]—claim that Humani Generis Unitas was literally on Pius XI's desk when he died of a heart attack on February 10, 1939.^[3]

Pope Pius XII, who succeeded Pius XI, did not promulgate the encyclical in the exact form of the draft left by Pius XI. Critics of Pius XII—notably John Cornwell in his controversial work Hitler's Pope—have cited his failure to promulgate the encyclical as evidence of his alleged silence toward anti-Semitism and The Holocaust, though a revised form of the encyclical was actually issued by Pius XII in October 1939^[1][2][6] and analysis of the encyclical figures prominently in most comparisons of the policies of Pius XII and his predecessor.^[4]

Pope Benedict XVI decreed in June, 2006 that all documents from the reign of Pius XI in the Vatican Secret Archives should be opened,^[7] and on September 18, 2006 over 30,000 documents were made available to researchers.^[8]

Content[link]

The first 70 paragraphs, probably authored by Gundlach, are a critique of theological modernism, unorthodox re-interpretation of Sacred Scripture, nationalism, and racism; the remaining 108, likely authored by all three Jesuits, contextualized the first part of the encyclical with the social role of Catholic educational institutions and anti-Semitism.^[1]

Although the draft encyclical clearly condemned racism and anti-Semitism, the document is deeply grounded in anti-Judaism^[2]. The draft encyclical criticizes the majority of post-Messianic Jews for not acknowledging Jesus Christ as the true Jewish Messiah.^[9]

Racism[link]

The “encyclical” clearly condemns American racial segregation and Racism and Nazi German anti-Semitism ^[10] Racism is a denial of the unity of human society. ^[11], a denial of the human personality ^[12] and a denial of the true values of religion ^[13] There is no relation between race and religion ^[14] last not least because racism is destructive to any society ^[15] The text points out that racism is destructive not only for social relations within a society but also for international relations and relations between different races. ^[16]

Antisemitic accusations[link]

The encyclical condemns the persecution of Jews as well. “These persecutions have been censured by the Holy See on more than one occasion, but especially when they have worn the mantle of Christianity". ^[17] “This unjust and pitiless campaign against the Jews has at least this advantage”, according to the “encyclical”, because the true nature, the authentic basis of the social separation of the Jews from the rest of humanity … is religious in character. …Essentially, the so-called Jewish question … is a question of religion and, since the coming of Christ, a question of Christianity. ^[18] The encyclical blames the Jews of the time of Christ for having brought their own Messiah Jesus Christ to death: "The very act by which the Jewish people put to death their Savior and King was, in the strong language of Saint Paul, the salvation of the world". ^[19] The draft encyclical continues by accusing Jews of blind materialism.

• Blinded by a vision of material domination and gain, the Israelites lost what they themselves had sought. A few chosen souls, among whom were the disciples and followers of Our Lord, the early Jewish Christians, and, through the centuries, a few members of the Jewish people, were an exception to this general rule. By their acceptance of Christ's teaching and their incorporation into His Church, they shared in the inheritance of His glory, but they remained and still remain an exception. "What Israel was seeking after, that it has not obtained; but the chosen have obtained it, and the rest have been blinded" (Romans 11:7). ^[20] The planned encyclical argues, that

• By a mysterious Providence of God, this unhappy people, destroyers of their own nation, whose misguided leaders had called down upon their own heads a Divine malediction, doomed, as it were, to perpetually wander over the face of the earth, were nonetheless never allowed to perish, but have been preserved through the ages into our own time. No natural reason appears to be forthcoming to explain this age-long persistence, this indestructible coherence of the Jewish people.^[21]

Reaction of Pope Pius XII[link]

Pope Pius XII, who according to the authors, was not aware of the text before the death of his predecessor, ^[22] chose not to publish this encyclical. However, his first encyclical Summi Pontificatus (October 12, 1939), published after the beginning of WWII, has the identical title On the Unity of Human Society and uses many of the arguments of the text, avoiding most of the negative characterisation of the Jewish people and rabbinic religion still contained in the text of the original encyclical, planned and written before the invasion of Poland and the start of the Second World War.^[23]

Summi Pontificatus sees Christianity being universalized and opposed to every form of racial hostility and against racial superiority. There are no real racial differences, because the human race forms a unity, because "one ancestor [God] made all nations to inhabit the whole earth".

• What a wonderful vision, which makes us contemplate the human race in the unity of its origin in God. . . in the unity of its nature, composed equally in all men of a material body and a spiritual soul; in the unity of its immediate end and its mission in the world; in the unity of its dwelling, the earth, whose benefits all men, by right of nature, may use to sustain and develop life; in the unity of its supernatural end: God himself, to whom all ought to tend; in the unity of the means for attaining this end;. . . in the unity of the redemption wrought by Christ for all.^[24]

This divine law of solidarity and charity assures that all men are truly brethren, without excluding the rich variety of persons, cultures and societies.^[25]

References[link]

• Georges Passelecq and Bernard Suchecky, L’Encyclique Cachee de Pie XI, Une occasion manqué de l’Eglise face a l’antisemitisme , Editions La Decouverte, Paris 1995, (engl)The Hidden Encyclical of Pius XI (Harcourt, Brace, and Co., 1997).
• Encyclical Summi Pontificatus on the Vatican website

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Humani Generis Unitas draft of a section as of 1938
• Pius XI and the mystery of the disapperead encyclical (YouTube video, original Italian, with English subtitles, duration 04:38)