«Il caso Miroševič» : l' expulsion du ministre de Yougoslavie au Vatican par le gouvernement fasciste en 1941
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‘:The Miroševič affair has caused a sort of revolution in the Diplomatic
Corps here”, wrote Mgr Tardini on 31 January 1942 in a note for Pope Pius XII, referring to the expulsion from Italy, by the Fascist government, of the
Yugoslav Minister to the Vatican, Niko Miroševič-Sorgo. The event did, indeed, raise the whole question of continued diplomatic relations between the
Holy See and states at war with Italy. Fascist Italy, along with Nazi Germany, had attacked Yugoslavia early in April 1941. Less than a fortnight later, Yugoslavia’s armed forces had capitulated, her King and government had left the country, her territory had been dismembered and occupied by the Axis powers. The Yugoslav Legation to the Holy See nevertheless continued to function regularly until, in late July, the Italian authorities had the Minister, who resided in Rome, on Italian territory, expelled to Switzerland. Understandably, the representatives of the Allied powers, and other diplomats accredited to the Vatican, made an issue of it. Various theories were put forward by way of explanation, without documentary evidence. The author, who teaches the history of the Balkans at the University of Southampton, and who is currently studying Italian policies towards Yugoslavia during the Second World War, had looked into the published documents of the Holy See, as well as into the diplomatic archives in London, Washington, Bonn and Bern. He has talked to some of the people involved, and has been allowed to see private papers. Using the convergent and divergent sources available, he attempts a historical analysis of an enigmatic situation and considers, through this topic, some delicate aspects of diplomacy in war-time.
Corps here”, wrote Mgr Tardini on 31 January 1942 in a note for Pope Pius XII, referring to the expulsion from Italy, by the Fascist government, of the
Yugoslav Minister to the Vatican, Niko Miroševič-Sorgo. The event did, indeed, raise the whole question of continued diplomatic relations between the
Holy See and states at war with Italy. Fascist Italy, along with Nazi Germany, had attacked Yugoslavia early in April 1941. Less than a fortnight later, Yugoslavia’s armed forces had capitulated, her King and government had left the country, her territory had been dismembered and occupied by the Axis powers. The Yugoslav Legation to the Holy See nevertheless continued to function regularly until, in late July, the Italian authorities had the Minister, who resided in Rome, on Italian territory, expelled to Switzerland. Understandably, the representatives of the Allied powers, and other diplomats accredited to the Vatican, made an issue of it. Various theories were put forward by way of explanation, without documentary evidence. The author, who teaches the history of the Balkans at the University of Southampton, and who is currently studying Italian policies towards Yugoslavia during the Second World War, had looked into the published documents of the Holy See, as well as into the diplomatic archives in London, Washington, Bonn and Bern. He has talked to some of the people involved, and has been allowed to see private papers. Using the convergent and divergent sources available, he attempts a historical analysis of an enigmatic situation and considers, through this topic, some delicate aspects of diplomacy in war-time.
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