7. The Jesuits and the Colleqium Russicum

Among the various causes which decided the Vatican to start the first world war, by urging the emperor of Austria, Francis-Joseph, to “chastise the Serbians”, the main one was, as we have seen, to strike a decisive blow against the Orthodox Church, this hated and centuries old rival.

Beyond the small Serbian nation, the Vatican aimed at Russia, the traditional protector of Orthodox believers in the Balkans and the East. M. Pierre Dominique wrote:

“To Rome, this affair became most important; a victory of apostolic monarchy over Czarism could be looked upon as a victory of Rome over the schism of the East”.(135)

The Roman Curia was in no way concerned that such a victory could only be acquired through a gigantic holocaust. The risk, rather the certainty of it, was accepted, as the alliances made it unavoidable. Urged on by his secretary of State, the Jesuit Merry del Val, Pius X made no secret of it and the Bavarian Charge d’Affaires wrote to his government, on the eve of the conflict: “He (the pope) does not think the French and Russian armies would be successful in a war against Germany”.(136)

This wicked calculation proved wrong. The first World War, which ravaged the north of France and left several millions dead, did not fulfil Rome’s ambitions; it divided Austria-Hungary instead, so depriving the Vatican of its main stronghold in Europe and liberating the Slavs who were part of that double monarchy from Vienna’s apostolic yoke.

In addition, the Russian revolution liberated from the Vatican’s control those Roman Catholics, for the most part of Polish origins, who lived in the Czars former empire.

The defeat was total. But the Roman Church “patiens quia aeterna” was going to pursue with fresh efforts her politics of the “Drang nach Osten”, the thrust towards the East which combined so well with the Pan-German ambitions.

(135) Pierre Dominique, op.cit., p.246. (136) Bayerische Dokumente zum Kriegsausbruch, III , p.206.

For that, as we mentioned earlier on, the raising up of Dictators and the second world war with its retinue of horrors; the “cleaning up” of the Wartheland, in Poland, and the “compulsory Catholicisation” of Croatia were two examples, especially atrocious, of these horrors.

It was of no importance that 25 millions died in concentration camps, 32 millions soldiers were killed on the battle fields and 29 millions were wounded and maimed; these are the official statistics of the United Nations Organisation (137) and show the magnitude of that carnage! This time, the Roman Curia thought her aims had been reached, and one could read in ‘Basler Nachrichten’ of Basle:

“The German action in Russia poses the question of that country’s evangelisation; the Vatican is most highly interested in it”.(138)

And this, from a book devoted to the glorification of Pius XII:

“The Vatican and Berlin signed a pact allowing the Catholic missionaries of the Russicum college to go to occupied territories and the placing of the Baltic territories under Berlin’s nunciature”.(139)

The “Catholicisation” of Russia was about to be launched, under the protection of the Wehrmacht and SS, in the manner Pavelitch and his associates were carrying it out in Croatia, but on a much vaster scale. This was indeed a triumph for Rome!

What a disappointment, then, when the hitlerian thrust was stopped at Moscow and when von Paulus and his army were trapped in Stalingrad! It was Christmas time, Christmas of 1942, and one must re-read the Message—rather the vibrant call to arms—addressed to the “Christian nations” by the Holy Father:

“This is not a time for lamentation, but action. May the Crusades’ enthusiasm get hold of Christianity, and the call of “God wants it!” will be heard; may we be ready to serve and sacrifice ourselves, as the Crusaders of old…” We exhort and implore you to take upon yourselves the awful gravity of the present situation… As for the volunteers who participate in this Holy Crusade of modern times, “raise the standard high, declare war on the darkness of a world separated from God”.(140)

(137) “La Croix”, 7th of September 1951. (138) “Basler Nachrichten”, 27th of March 1942. (139) and (140) “War messages to the world”, by Pius XII (Ed. Spes, Paris 1945, pp.34 and 257 ss).

On this day of the Nativity, we were far from “Pax Christi”!

This war-like address was not the expression of the “strict neutrality” the Vatican flatters itself to observe in international matters. This address was made even more improper by the fact that Russia was the ally of England, America and Free France. We smile while reading the vehement contestation of Pius XII’s thurifers who tell us that Hitler’s war was not a real “crusade”, when that word is mentioned in the Holy Father’s Message. The “volunteers” the pope called to arms were those of the “Azul Division” and those recruited by Cardinal Baudrillart in Paris. “Hitler’s war is a noble enterprise in the defence of European culture”, he exclaimed on the 30th of July 1941.

We note, though, that the Vatican is not interested any more in the defence of this culture now that it strives to make African nations revolt against France. Pius XII said: “The Catholic Church does not identify herself with western culture”. (141 and 141a)

The impostures and gross contradictions are endless on the part of those who accuse Satan of being the “father of all lies”.

The defeat sustained in Russia by Hitler’s armies, “these noble defenders of European culture”, involved also the Jesuit converters. One wonders what Saint-Theresa was doing before such a disaster! Pius XI had proclaimed her “patron-saint of unfortunate Russia” and Canon Coube represented her standing, “smiling but as terrible as an army set for battle against the Bolshevist giant”.(142)

Had the Saint of Lisieux—used for all kinds of work by the Church— succumbed under the new and gigantic task assigned to her by the Holy lather? It would not be surprising.

But, instead of the little saint, there was still the Queen of Heaven who had taken upon herself, in 1917 already, under certain conditions, to bring back schismatic Russia to the Roman Church’s fold. Let us read what ‘La Croix’ said about it:

“We will remind our readers that the Virgin of Fatima had herself promised the conversion of the Russians, if all Christians sincerely and joyfully practised all the commandments of the evangelical law”.(143) We want to point out that, according to the Jesuit Fathers who are great specialists in miraculous matters, the celestial Mediator recommended as especially effective the daily use of the rosary. This promise from the Virgin had even been sealed by a “dance of the Sun”, a wonder which occurred again in 1951, in the gardens of the Vatican, for the benefit of His Holiness Pius XII only.

(141) “Le Monde”, 13th of April 1956 (Congress of African Catholic students). (141a) See also Francois Mejan: “Le Vatican contre la France d’Outre-Mer” (Fischbacher). (142) Canon Coube: “Sainte Therese de l’Enfant Jesus et les crises du temps present” (Flammarion, Paris 1936, p.6 ss). IMPRIMATUR 11th of January 1936. (143) “La Croix”, 11th of June 1947.

Nevertheless, the Russians entered Berlin, in spite of the crusade called tor by the pope—and, until now, the fellow-countrymen of Mr. Khrushchev have not shown any eagerness, as far as we know, to appear before the doors of Saint-Peter in penitent garb with the halters around their necks.

What went wrong? Had Christians not ‘told’ sufficient beads on their rosaries? Were Heaven’s requisite number of ‘tens’ not fulfilled? We would be tempted to believe this to be the cause if there wasn’t that rather scabrous detail in the wonderful story of Fatima. The promise of Russia’s conversion, sensibly given to the clairvoyant Lucia in 1917, was “revealed” by her in 1941 only, when she had become a nun, and made public in October 1942 by Cardinal Schuster, a keen partisan of the Rome- Berlin Axis; it was made public by request, or shall we say order, from Pius XII—this same Pius XII who, three months later, expressed the aforementioned call for a Crusade.

Very “enlightening” indeed: One of Fatima’s apologists admits that, because of it, the matter “evidently loses some of its prophetic value…”(144) This is the least one could say about it! A certain canon, great specialist in the matter of the “Portuguese miracle” tells us in confidence: “I must confess that, as far as I am concerned, it is only with great reluctance that I added to my first editions the text revealed to the public by His Eminence Cardinal Schuster…”(145)

We certainly understand the good canon’s feelings:

So, the Holy Virgin told the shepherdess Lucia, in 1917: “If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted…”, while charging her to keep this “secret” to herself. How, then, could the Christians have come to know these “requests” and meet them? “Credibile quia ineptum”.

It seems that, from 1917 until 1942, “unfortunate Russia” did not need to have prayers offered on her behalf, and that they were urgently needed only after the Nazi defeat at Moscow and when von Paulus was trapped in Stalingrad.

At least, it is the only conclusion this late revelation allows. The supernatural—as we have said already—is a powerful thing, but it must be handled with some care.

After Montoire, the Jesuits’ general, Halke von Ledochowski, already spoke haughtily about the general meeting the Company would hold in Rome, after England had capitulated, the importance and brilliance of which would not find an equal in all its history.

(144) Michel Agnellet: “Miracles a Fatima” (Ed. de Trevise, Paris 1958, p.54). Imprimatur 1958. (145) Canon Barthas: “Fatima, merveille du XXe siecle”, (Fatima Editions, Toulouse 1957, p.81) Imprimatur 1957.

But Heaven had decided otherwise, in spite of Saint-Theresa and the Lady of Fatima. Great Britain braced herself against the enemy, the United States entered the war, (even though the Jesuit Father Coughlin had worked so hard), the Allies disembarked in North Africa and the Russian campaign was a disaster for the Nazis.

For Ledochowski, it was the collapse of his great dream. Wehrmacht, SS, “cleaner-ups” and Jesuit converters were retreating together. The general’s health did not stand up to such a disaster and he died. Let us see, though, what this “Russicum” is which Pius XI and von Ledochowski added, in 1929, to the already so rich and varied Roman organisation.

“With the apostolic Constitution “Quam Curam”, Pius XI created this Russian seminary, in Rome, where young apostles of every nationality would be trained, “on condition that they adopt, before anything else, the Byzantine-Slav rite, and that their minds were made up to devote themselves entirely to the task of bringing Russia back into Christ’s fold”(146)

This is the aim of the Russian pontifical College, alias “Russicum”, the Oriental pontifical Institute and the Roman College—these three Centres are also administered by the Company of Jesus.

At the “Roman College”—45, Piazza del Gesu—we find the Jesuits’ noviceship and, amongst the novices, some bear the name of “Russipetes”, as they are destined to “petere Russiam”, or go to Russia. Orthodox believers should watch out, for so many valorous champions are determined to crush them. We must point out, though, that the aforementioned “Homme nouveau” affirms:

“All these priests are certainly destined to go to Russia. But this project cannot be realised for the time being”.(147)

According to this particular publication, the Soviet press calls these apostles “the Vatican’s parachutists”. And, from the testimony of someone well-informed on the subject, we come to the conclusion that this name fits them quite well.

The person in question is no less than the Jesuit Alighiero Tondi, professor at the Gregorian pontofical University, who repudiated Ignatius of Loyola, the “Spiritual Exercises” though not without a considerable row and resigned from the famous Company, together with its pomp and deeds. We can read the following, amongst other declarations, in an interview he gave to an Italian newspaper:

(146) “L’Homme nouveau” (L’Avenir catholique), 7th of December 1958. (147) “L’Homme nouveau” (L’Avenir catholique), 7th of December 1958.

“The activities of the Collegium Russicum and other organisations linked to it are many and varied. For example, together with Italian fascists and what remains of Geman Nazism, the Jesuits organise and co-ordinate the various anti-Russian groups, on the ecclesiastical authority’s order. The ultimate aim is to be ready, eventually, to overthrow the governments of the East. Finances are provided by the ruling ecclesiastical organisations. This is the work the leaders of the clergy apply themselves to. These same ones would readily tear their cassocks apart, out of grief, when they are accused of meddling in politics and urging the bishops and priests of the East to conspire against their governments.”

“When talking to the Jesuit Andrei Ouroussof, I said that it was disgraceful to affirm in the “Osservatore Romano”, the Vatican’s official voice, and in other ecclesiastical publications, that the unmasked spies were “martyrs of the faith”. Ouroussof burst out laughing.

“—What would you write, Father? he asked me. Would you call them spies, or something worse? Today, the Vatican’s politics need martyrs. But, at the moment, martyrs are difficult to find. So they are fabricated.

—But this is a dishonest game!

“He shook his head ironically.

—You are ingenious, Father. Because of your work, you should know better than anyone else that the Church’s leaders have always been inspired by the same rules.

—And what about Jesus-Christ? I asked.

He laughed: “One must not think of Jesus-Christ”, he said. “If we thought of Him, we would end up on the cross. And, today, the time has come to put others on the cross and not be hoist on it ourselves.”(148)

So, as the Jesuit Ouroussof said it so well, the Vatican’s politics need martyrs, volunteers or not. It “created” millions of them during two world wars.

(148) Interview which appeared in “Il Paese” on the 2nd of October 1954.