Vol. 5 No. 1 (2025): Studia Humanitatis Journal
Articles: miscellaneous

The Marmaggi affair. The most important diplomatic conflict between Czechoslovakia and the Holy See in the interwar period

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  • Marek Smid
Marek Smid
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8613-8673 (unauthenticated) Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University, Czech Republic

Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33732/shj.v5i1.148

Published 2025-01-31

Keywords

  • Holy See,
  • Czechoslovakia,
  • Papal politics,
  • Apostolic nuncio,
  • Francesco Marmaggi,
  • 1925
    • ...More
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Abstract

The present study examines the Marmaggi Affair of the summer of 1925, which represents the most significant diplomatic conflict between Czechoslovakia and the Holy See during the interwar period. This incident serves as a crucial point of analysis for understanding the complexities of Czechoslovak-Vatican relations during that era. The author situates the affair within the broader context of these relations in the 1920s while thoroughly examining its causes, reconstructing its course, and reflecting on its long-term consequences.

The study reveals that the dispute between Prague and Rome was largely a side effect of a long-standing misunderstanding between the Czechoslovak and Vatican parties. This misunderstanding threatened to escalate into an open conflict as early as during the diplomatic service of Marmaggi’s predecessor, Clemente Micara, in the early 1920s. The tensions were fueled by differing political interests and cultural misunderstandings that complicated the bilateral relationship.

In conducting this research, the author draws on a wide range of primary sources, including documents from the Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the National Archive, the Archive of the T. G. Masaryk Institute, the Vatican Apostolic Archive, and the Historical Archive of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. These documents are critically compared with relevant academic literature, particularly works of Czech provenance, providing a comprehensive understanding of the affair. This study ultimately contributes to the broader discourse on international diplomacy in the interwar period and highlights the intricate dynamics between church and state.

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