Letter from Joseph P. Walshe to Frederick H. Boland (Dublin)
(JPW.TYP) (Secret)

I now have had four talks with Monsignor Montini concerning Panico. You will have received my telegram¹ requesting you to seek information from Kiernan about the exact route to be followed by the Delegate on his journey back to Europe. I think you understand that Delegates Apostolic are directly subject to the Propaganda authorities, but the latter are supposed to keep the Secretariat of State in the closest touch with all activities of even the most remotely political character or implication. They don't do it. Departments in the Vatican are not only terribly understaffed: there is little or no liaison between them. And jealousies are rife at the top. Hence the very strange request made to me by Montini about a matter every detail of which must be known to the Secretary of Propaganda as well as to Cardinal Fumasoni Biondi the Chief of that Department. Montini wants to help but he knows that Panico is a close pal of Fumasoni Biondi and he has to move very carefully indeed. He never loses his temper, but it is clear that he regards the attempted visit to Ireland as a violation of all the canons of prudence and good taste, and I never saw him so near an explosion as when he realized that Panico had actually started out from Australia with the intention of going to Ireland.

Should Panico arrive in Ireland notwithstanding all attempts to stop him, and ask for an interview with the Taoiseach, Montini wants him to be told that we have been informed that he has no mandate whatever from the Secretariat of State for any mission whatever to the Taoiseach or to anybody else in Ireland. That could hardly be stronger and it looks as if he had the authority of the Holy Father to bring the whole issue of the conflict of jurisdiction to a head. He told me that he intended to oppose the return of Panico to Australia. I was also given to understand by him that he had made a full report to the Holy Father on the basis of my conversations with him, which as you are aware, were entirely free from reserve or diplomatic humbug of any kind. In this connection I must repeat my expression of gratitude for keeping me in touch with the work of my colleagues in Australia and Canada. It is extremely precious for me to be au courant with the relations between the Envoys of the Holy See and civil Governments ... especially of English speaking countries.

We should keep well in mind that Fumasoni Biondi, in spite of any propaganda on his part to the contrary, is anti-Irish in his tendencies. He opposed the appointment of Irishmen to the rank of Bishop in America, and whenever he could he favoured Germans, no matter what the superiority of the Irish qualifications. I think some of our people in Rome believe that this Cardinal is a friend. He has been behind Panico in all his moves in Australia. Of course I am obliged to act as if he were a friend, but I really have no hope whatever of his conversion. We can only hope that the Lord will remove him to a higher sphere before very long.