| Original caption: “Pope Pius XII receives Spanish officers and soldiers in an audience in the Hall of Benedictions in Vatican City. Pope Pius blessed the rosaries given them by Spanish institutions in Rome, avoided saying anything against the enemy. He called them defenders of the faith, expressed hope that peace and love will now reign in Spain.” In this heavily retouched photo, 3,200 Nationalist soldiers of the Francoist regime receive an audience with Pope Pius XII (March 2, 1876 – October 9, 1958) in June 1939, in celebration of the victory of the Nationalist forces over the Republican Popular Front and the end of the 2nd Spanish Republic. 1 solider kisses the Papal ring while others wait their turn. Catholic encyclicals routinely condemned Communism; it was major news when on March 14, 1937, Pope Pius XII condemned both Communism and Nazism as a threat to the Church in his encyclical Mit brennender Sorge. The Nazis accused German Catholic priests of pedophila as a result, and Franco and the Spanish Catholic bishops refused to read the encyclical to Spanish Catholics at church. Nevertheless, Generalísimo Francisco Franco (December 4, 1892 – November 20, 1975), received the blessing of Pope Pius XXI in April 1939, when Franco’s forces marched into Madrid. Pope Pius called him the “Savior of Civilization.” Ministerio de la Gobernación (“Minister of the Interior”) Ramón Serrano Suñer (September 12, 1901 – September 1, 2003) — mockingly known as Cuñadísimo (“supreme brother-in-law”) in a play on words compared to Franco’s title of Generalísimo, since he was married to Franco’s wife’s sister — was very close to the Nazi German regime, and backed Spanish entry into World War II. He would spearhead the formation of the Blue Division, Spanish volunteers that would fight on the Eastern Front for Nazi Germany. With Italian Prime Minister and Dictator Il Duce Benito Mussolini (July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945), Italian General Gastone Gambara (November 10, 1890 -February 27, 1962), Commander of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie, the Italian Corps that fought in the Spanish Civil War, Suñer arranged the audience for the National veterans. But Pope Pius XII was deeply disturbed by the treatment of Jews and the news of the atrocities in the Eastern Front that reached the Vatican. In 1942, in a private audience with Suñer, Pope Pius stated his belief that the Nazis were far worse than the Soviets, and that a Nazi victory would mean the end of Christianity in Europe. Suñer criticized the increasing role of the Catholic Church in Spanish politics and Franco’s cult of personality. He left Franco’s government after a Falangist attack on the Basilica of Begoña on August 16, 1942. Suñer later urged Franco to admit liberal exiles into his government; Franco simply wrote “Ho Ho!” on the margins of the letter. Resistance by Republican guerrillas lasted until 1947, when Franco’s police decisively crushed resistance to his regime. His dictatorship lasted until his death. On August 27, 1953, Pope Pius XII signed the Concordat of 1953, which extended the traditional Royal Patronage of Catholic kings of Spain to Franco. This was an effort to end isolation of Spain after World War II. The meeting of Spanish soldiers was nationally reported in the United States and this photo was widely circulated. “Pope Thanks Franco Troops Defended Civilization, Faith, Pontiff Says By Associated Press Vatican City, June 11.” “Pope Pius XII personally thanked 3,200 Spanish soldiers today for defending ‘the faith and civilization’ of Spain under Generalissimo Francisco Franco.” The Pontiff received the veterans of the civil war, who came here to march before Premier Mussolini in his victory celebration, along with Ramón Serrano Suñer, Franco’s brother-in-law and interior minister, and General Gastone Gambara, commander of the Italians who fought in Spain. Expressing sympathy for the widows and orphans of the war. the Holy Father urged them to ‘unite their sorrows with those of our Lady of Sorrows and offer them to God with Christian resignation for the peace of the world.’” “The Pontiff showed the esteem in which he held the soldiers by extending a hand for them to kiss as he passed among them. Ordinarily he does not do that in receiving so large a group.” | |
| Image Filename | wwii0669.jpg |
| Image Size | 228.67 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1301 x 996 |
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| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 11, 1939 |
| Location | |
| City | Rome |
| State or Province | Lazio |
| Country | Italy |
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| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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