Extract from a letter from Joseph P. Walshe to Frederick H. Boland (Dublin)

Unfortunately, the whole Vatican is becoming more and more absorbed in purely Italian affairs and, as the situation worsens here, that state of mind will worsen too. Indeed, I wonder if anything less than an open persecution of the Church in this country, or an almost open revolt of the Western Bishops, will have any real effect on their deeply rooted Italianism. It is the whole talk of all the Western foreigners in Rome, and I am hard put to keep out of the melee. Another reason for courting Italian friendships rather than English-speaking! The danger there is less but, strange to say, as they get to know you (I mean the educated Catholics and the priests of the Jesuit calibre) they, too, talk about the backwardness of the Vatican system and the necessity for a very serious foreign infiltration. In the end something must be done about it from the outside. However the Church may have stood up to it in the past, the system is now outmoded. Even the H.F.'s statements are commonly criticised for their turgid style and lack of substance - so much so, that even the very Monsignori themselves find it a penance to read them. On the other hand, the genuine sanctity of the Pope gives him a pre-eminent position even in this den of gossip, and his love for making longwinded speeches is comparatively lightly passed over because of that one most necessary qualification. Of course, there are always rumours about his health - most of them without foundation - and consequently much speculation about his successor. The strong candidate at the moment is the Armenian Cardinal, who is a very holy and an extremely cultured man. He is a Russian subject and speaks at least eight languages fluently. Moreover, he has spent about 18 years in Rome as student and professor. Still, I think that the H.F. is preparing Montini to succeed him. They are most intimate friends and think alike in nearly everything. I can't imagine the H.F. resigning himself to being succeeded by a non-Italian. For all his universality he is inordinately concentrated on what Italians think of his actions and statements. I should say 90% of his time and of that of most of the important officials is now taken up with Italian affairs. The rapid growth of Communism has horrified them and they have a rather pathetic belief that they can win back people to the faith by giving them bread. After all, the Protestant Church in England and America has long since become a benevolent organisation, but religion continues to decrease in both countries at a staggering rate. It is the same here. The boosting of the Pope as a dispenser of material things is dreadfully overdone, and the Italians, like our own people, are very intelligent and not easily confused by such devices. The strong Catholics tell me that what they want in Italy, above all, is a zealous clergy and a complete reorganisation of the parishes. It is extraordinary that in a place like Rome all the Churches close about 6 p.m., so that the workers, whether white collar or others, have no chance to say their prayers. Another strange practice is that of putting the Blessed Sacrament in an obscure side altar, never at the High Altar - and very often you can't find out where it is, because all the other altars devoted to supposedly miraculous images have at least as many lamps lighted before them. There must be a slight suspicion in the minds of the people that the Church is neglecting the very central point of our Catholic worship. That, in my view, is the real cause of the decadence here and in France. They have gone back to a kind of materialism in religion, as well as in morals.

It is all very disturbing, because their somewhat weak hold on the practice of their religion makes them easy victims for the Communist who has something more definite and vigorous for them than the diluted Catholicism they receive from the priests. Later on we shall all suffer for the neglect of the people by the Church in Italy. There is deep down in them all a queer sort of feeling that they ought to be Catholics, and it has been suggested by the Irish and Irish American priests that, if they could take over a whole Diocese, they would soon get the people right. The knowledge that Catholicism is at such a low ebb in Italy has become widespread, owing to the many Catholic witnesses from America and elsewhere during the war - and not least those who assisted at the Chapters of the great Religious Orders. One result has been a considerable lowering of the prestige of the Vatican in England and America which, according to my informants, would now be at zero were it not for the personal qualities of the Holy Father. In this welter of views and abnormalities it is difficult to steer a clear course as Vatican Representative.¹