Vatican Secret Diplomacy: Joseph P. Hurley and Pope Pius XII (review)

Charles R. Gallagher has written a superb work about a little-known key figure in twentieth century U.S.-Vatican diplomatic relations: the Irish-American Joseph P. Hurley. Hurley began life in near poverty in Cleveland, Ohio but rose to become a cosmopolitan archbishop-bishop. His motto, “Virtus in arduis,” reveals a deep insight into this behind-the-scenes diplomat-churchman. Generally translated as “Virtue in the midst of difficulty,” the motto holds a deeper meaning that Gallagher illuminates as “martial steadfastness in the midst of poor leadership” (p. 107). This second translation embodies Hurley’s adult life.

Gallagher introduces Hurley by first exploring his upbringing and the role that his early education played in forming his character. As Hurley matured, he set his sights on attending the Military Academy at West Point, but because of a misunderstanding with a letter of recommendation he was not able to attend. Hurley entered the priesthood and made a lifelong friend and mentor in the eventual cardinal-archbishop of Detroit, Edward Mooney. When describing Hurley’s early life experiences, Gallagher stresses the young man’s physical fitness and his developing belief in what could be called a “muscular Christianity” that combined active faith, determination, and American patriotism. For Hurley, balancing his love of the United States with his duties to his church would prove to be a major challenge over the years.

By the late 1920s, Hurley had embarked on a series of new adventures. First he accompanied an older priest on a cruise that took them to India. After this extensive trip, Mooney convinced Hurley to return to India to work as his secretary. In India, Mooney began teaching Hurley how to handle diplomatic crises, emphasizing the need for inflexibility and diplomatic ultimatums. This coincided nicely with Hurley’s developing philosophy of a muscular Catholicism. After some time in India, Hurley and Mooney were sent to Japan, a posting that was extremely significant for Hurley because apostolic delegates there moved freely in diplomatic circles. The situation changed dramatically in May 1932 when Japan’s new military leaders demanded that Japanese citizens honor “state Shinto” and practice social conversion. By the summer of 1933, Mooney had been appointed bishop of Rochester, New York, leaving Hurley in charge of the Japan mission.

On his own in Japan, Hurley followed his established pattern: when a diplomatic crisis erupted with the authoritarian Japanese government, Hurley flexed his muscles and refused to back down. He was successful, and this reinforced his “conviction that diplomacy of inflexibility was the diplomacy of success” (p. 39). Time and again, Hurley’s tough stance on diplomacy protected Catholics in Japan from persecution and saved the Vatican’s mission to Japan. In recognition of these achievements, Hurley was sent to Rome to ascend the next step on the diplomatic ladder.

Arriving in Rome in May 1934, Hurley was nominated to work in the Vatican Secretariat of State, an amazing assignment in several respects. Most notably, Hurley was the only American attached to the Vatican’s Secretariat of State during the time of the dictators. From his position there, Hurley gained a view of the U.S. Catholic scene, acting as a liaison officer to clergy in the United States. Within two years of his arrival, Hurley was promoted again to the position of minutante, where he analyzed and offered recommendations concerning policy for the American church to the Vatican secretary of state.

As time progressed, Hurley’s conception of world events and policies forced him to side with the pro-democratic faction within the Vatican hierarchy. He came into contact with William Phillips, who had been the U.S. ambassador to Rome since 1936. In the 1930s, the United States had no official mission to the Vatican, but U.S. officials hoped that Phillips would be able to convince the Vatican to keep Italy from joining with the Axis powers. The relationship between Phillips and Hurley over the next years...