The Penn's Grove record., 1919-10-10
LONDON SECRET AGREEMENT
Famous Article XIV. in Secret Treaty
Barred Holy Father From Peace
Conference


From Catholic Standard and Times
Philadelphia. Oct. 4. 1919
Rome, August 19.-The "Avvenire d
Italia" the Bologna Catholic daily, pub
fishes the authentic text of the famous
Article XIV. in the London agreement
made between France, Russia and Eng
land on the one hand and Italy on the
other when the latter entered the war.
1t is the clause directed against the
participation of the Holy Father in the
Peace Conference. and the "Avennire'
says it is in a position to guarantee
the correctness of the text it now
publishes. The text of the clause as
originally published in English was as
follows:
France, Great Britain and Russia
undertake to support Italy, in so far
as she does not permit the representa-
:, ton of the Holy See to take diplomatic
action with regard to the conclusion OF
peace and the regulation of questions
connected with the war"
Came Out In December, 1917
This was published in December, 1917.
EVER since ltdlA tiltIGO TIT No4 II *"
been whispered here-whispered some
times quite audibly-that there was a
secret clause to prevent the Holy
Father taking part in the Peace Con-
ference, though no one could forecast
what form that conference would take.
The rumor was never denied and was
generally believed to be true.
After the publication of the above
text, questions were asked here and
in the British House of Commons, the
clause being capable of a far wider in
depreciation than nae been believed,
prohibiting indeed any diplomatic ac-
ton toward peace on the part of the
Vatican-a thing on the face of it alb
surd.
Replies Given
Here the reply was given that the
London agreement did not contain any
clause prohibiting a priori any diplo-
matte action on the part of the Vati-
can regarding peace. Lord Robert
Cecil stated in England that a clause
existed, but that it only dealt with
possible opposition of Italy to the par
~ticipation of the Pope in the Peace
Congress.
The text now published by the
.,Avvenire d. Italia" runs Translated
literally from the original FRENCH:
France, Great Britain and Russia
will uppor the opposition Italy will
make to any proposal tending to intro
duce a representative of the Holy See
in all the negotiations for peace and
for the settlement of questions raised
by the present war"
Insult to the Pontif
Lord Robert Cecil's reply thus seems
to have been correct; the reply in the
Chamber of Deputies here literally cor
rect, though practically a quibble. And
the argument Of the "~Osservatore
Romano" remains unanswerable, that
if the Allies intended to exclude neu-
trails from the Peace Conference, that
is an intelligent policy, but to single
out the Holy See for exclusion was an
insult to the Pope.
One should remember that this was
signed in April, 1915. The Italian sig
nature was that Of Baron Sonnino. If
the Italian Foreign Minister'S conduct
is straightforward. his ideas are
straight-fxed and sometimes in such
a narrow groove that his policy fails
as has happened recently at Paris.
when a wider outlook on his part would
have made things easier for Italy and
the Allied Associated Powers. His
ideas with regard TO the Holy See have
always been fixed in the groove that
il is a danger. against which Italy must
be on her guard
At the time of the signing Of the
London agreement. German diplomats
were active at the Vatican; Won Bulow
was here, and Erzberfier was with him
on a special mission, believed, not I'M
reasonably. to be hat Of engaging the
activity Of the Holy See and the Ital-
ian Catholics towards keeping Italy
from entering the war on the side OF
the Allies. And German papers were
saying openly that 5ne Of their war
aims was the establishment Of the
temporal power Of the Pope.
sonnino. starting from his completely
wrong conception Of the attitude of the
Holy Father and the Holy See, took
his precautions. Probably. like many
other people, he had never read-or,
if he had read, he refused to believe
authoritative declarations Of the true
attitude of the Holy See.
The Allies would probably know
little and have thought less about the
Holy See. and such politicians as had
thought would be ~preiudieed against
it. So. quite naturally, though utterly
wrongly and fo%olishly, the clause was
agreed to and inserted
Why Was 1T Kept secret:
But. one has To ask. considering the
controversy and doubt e~ngendered BY
various and almost contradictory re-
plies. why could not the Allied states
men, as simple honest men, have pub
lished the text Of the mUch-debated
clause? It was a mistake, arising out
of the prejudice Of the person most in
terested. It was wrong. any one who
knows the truth about the Vatican at
titude-unfortunately they did not
will endorse the "-Osservatore's YER
dict that it was an insult to the Holy
See. But taking diplomacy Is it has
been under the unnatural strain Of
war, there was surely nothing in it to