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Pius XI and America: Proceedings of the Brown University Conference (Providence, October 2010) ed. by Charles R. Gallagher, David I. Kertzer, Alberto Melloni (review)

Pius XI and America: Proceedings of the Brown University Conference (Providence, October 2010). Edited by Charles R. Gallagher, David I. Kertzer, and Alberto Melloni. [Christianity and History: Series of the John XXIII Foundation for Religious Studies in Bologna, Vol. 11.] (Berlin: LIT Verlag. Distrib. ISBS, Portland, OR. 2012. Pp. 449. euro39,90 paperback. ISBN 978-3-643-90146-0).This collection provides a unique lens for readers who wish to examine the papers of Pope Pius XI's pontificate housed in the Vatican Secret Archives. Such a volume was possible only after Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI took steps to release Pius XI's papers for scholarly use, partially in 2002-03 and fully in 2006. As the essays reveal, such a historic decision will impact the way that scholars interpret modern church history for years to come. Yet, as coeditor Charles Gallagher, S.J., reminds us in his introduction, the opening will also allow scholars "to uncover a history which is not only papal, but political, cultural, economic, and global" (p. 17).Originally presented at a 2010 international and bilingual (English and Italian) conference held at Brown University, the sixteen essays and two discussants' comments are now published entirely in English with the exception of select primary source documents and quotations in Italian, French, and German. The topics of the essays, divided into four sections, are much broader than the conference's designated theme, making for a rich and diverse collection.The first section, "Pius XI, the United States and the Vatican," centers on interactions between the Holy See and the United States in relation to issues of mutual concern. Marisa Patulli Trythall's lengthy but informative essay on "Pius XI and American Pragmatism" begins the collection by examining the political maneuvering of U.S. bishops to gain support within Vatican walls after Cardinal William Henry O'Connell, archbishop of Boston, led an attempt to have the National Catholic Welfare Council suppressed by the Vatican. Pius XI appeared ready to cede to O'Connell's wishes, but Bishop Joseph Schrembs of Cleveland and Bishop John T. McNicholas of Duluth, who represented the wishes of a majority of the U.S. episcopacy, convinced him of the necessity of the NCWC, especially in the pluralistic American society. Amid this story, Trythall interjects her extensive research on the Jesuit priest Edmund Walsh, whose work for the Papal Relief Mission in communist Russia was supported by the NCWC. Although the story is presented rather disjointedly, the reader does learn that the Vatican was capable of conciliation with communists, even after Soviet Russia had executed a member of the Russian church hierarchy. In her essay on the "Vatican and the US in the ItaloEthiopian War," Lucia Ceci shows that although Pius XI was personally opposed to the invasion, the Vatican would become the second nation (after Germany) to recognize the conquest. By contrast, the U.S. government refused such recognition, despite support for the war, especially among many Italian Americans. One churchman who publicly supported the invasion of Ethiopia was Father Charles Coughlin, about whom Gerald Fogarty, S.J., provides insightful new information. Tensions arose significantly among U.S. prelates as they attempted to deal with this problematic and antisemitic priest. Initially, Coughlin had two important means of support: popularity among the U.S. Catholic population and the protection of his ordinary (Michael Gallagher, bishop of Detroit). Amid a strong anti-Catholic climate in the nation, the U.S. bishops feared accusations that they were denying Coughlin his freedom of speech. The situation changed slightly, however, after the radio priest began publicly criticizing President Franklin Roosevelt's decision to change the underpinning for U.S. currency. Monsignor Joseph Hurley, the first American to serve in the Vatican Secretariat of State, relayed Pius XI's warning to Coughlin not to say "anything which might diminish respect for constituted authority" (pp. …