In my ongoing efforts to understand certain policies of Pope Pius XI — especially his ecumenical Ostpolitik towards Bolshevik-Soviet Russia (1922-1933) and his correlative (and concurrent) conciliatory policy towards Leftist France (especially during the years 1925-1927) — I came across a fair and indeed affectionate assessment of the character of Pius XI’s successor, Pope Pius XII. This set of discernments was rendered by one of his closest and devoted advisors, Domenico Tardini, who also intimately knew Pius XI; and his testimony has indirectly and unexpectedly helped to clarify many matters about some earlier Papal prudential (and moral) decisions (and some seeming omissions)—before, during, and after World War II — which have hitherto been to me largely unintelligible, not only inexplicable. For, Papal Diplomacy — Ostpolitik and Ecumenism — is no substitute, no replacement, for Our Lady’s warning words of mercy from Heaven. We may run, but we can’t hide from the matter of Fatima. Not even now.
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