Pius XI and America

The Vatican’s opening in 2006 of its archives for the period of the papacy of Pius XI (1922-1939) has prompted a burst of historical research which is not only shedding new light on the role of the Holy See and the Church in this period of extraordinary political and social turmoil, but also on some of the major world events of this period. In an effort to bring scholars from the many different countries who are working in these archives together and to highlight this emerging work to the broader scholarly community, a number of institutions have come together to create a research network. The principal sponsors of this initiative are the Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose Giovanni XIII in Bologna; the University of Münster; the École Française de Rome; the Biblioteca Ambrosiana of Milan; and Brown University (USA). Following a June 2009 conference in Milan and a March 2010 conference in Münster, a conference is planned for 28-30 October 2010 at Brown University.

A major theme of the Brown conference is the relationship between the Holy See and the Roman Catholic Church in the Americas during the papacy of Pius XI. However, other topics will also be treated, including a concluding debate focusing on the relationship between the Church and Italian Fascism. Scholars who have been working in the newly opened Vatican archives for this period are encouraged to submit proposals for papers to present at the conference to the organising committee (listed below). Paper proposals, sent in the form of email attachments in Word, should be received by 1 May. A limited number of places will also be available at the conference for scholars who are not on the programme. Anyone interested in attending should contact the organising committee for details.

As host of the conference, Brown University will cover the costs of housing and meals in Providence for those on the programme. Participants will need to find other funds to cover the costs of travel. The closest international airport is Boston, approximately an hour from Providence. The Providence airport is within 15 minutes of Brown University. Providence is also one hour by train from Boston and three hours by train from New York City.

Organising committee (please send all communications to the chair at the address listed below):

David Kertzer, Brown University, USA, chair (David_Kertzer@Brown.edu)

Charles R. Gallagher, S.J., Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Switzerland (c.gallagher@genevadiplomacy.com)

Alberto Melloni , Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose Giovanni XXIII, Bologna, Italy

Hubert Wolf, University of Münster, Germany