The Holy See in the face of the Rexist movement: preoccupations and hesitations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24197/ihemc.O.2024.769-784Keywords:
Belgium, Léon Degrelle, Rexist movement, Clemente Micara, Holy SeeAbstract
The essay is based on an initial and provisional survey of the correspondence kept in the Vatican Archives between the apostolic nuncio in Brussels and the Secretariat of State. It shows the concerns that Léon Degrelle and the Rexist movement aroused at the Holy See due to the break-up of the political unity of Catholics, the strong attraction exerted on young people and clergy, the interference on the Flemish question, and the proximity to fascism and Nazism. Finally, it reveals the not-always-full coincidence between the positions of the Holy See and those of the Belgian ecclesiastical hierarchy, as well as the prudence and hesitations of both.
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