Postcard of Pope Saint John XXIII

Authors

Object ID

2015.2.79

Object Name

Postcard, Picture

Date

1959

Files

Content Warning

The Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection consists of images, documents, and artifacts related to the Holocaust. The collection contains materials that depict a number of topics that may be difficult for viewers to engage with, including: antisemitic descriptions, caricatures, and representation of Jewish people; Nazi imagery and ideology; descriptions and images of German ghettos; graphic images of the violence of the Holocaust; and the creation of the State of Israel. For more information, see our policy page.

Description

Black and white photograph of a man in profile facing left. He wears all white, and a rope around his neck. Gives a printed signature beneath. Back: Printed black postcard lines. Greetings message written in blue ink. Some water damage. Addressed to Mrs. J. Gallagher in Richmond Hill, New York. Two stamps in upper right corner. The left stamp is blue and shows men in battle. The right stamp is purple and shows men in battle near a church. Two black handstamps over the pasted stamps, one with text and a lantern, the other a black circular hand stamp.

Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

"The Good Pope” John served as Pope from 1958 to 1963. The card was sent by a priest who later became a Vatican representative. The Raoul Wallenberg Foundation has catalogued some of Pope John's extensive humanitarian actions on behalf of Jews during the Holocaust when he was Apostolic Delegate Monsignor Angelo Roncalli. Published reports about his actions during World War II, collated by the Foundation, can be found on their website and include the following verified actions: Delivery of "immigration certificates" to Palestine through the Nunciature diplomatic courier. Rescue of Jews by means of certificates of "baptism of convenience" sent by Monsignor Roncalli to priests in Europe. Intervention before King Boris of Bulgaria in favor of Bulgarian Jews. Intervention in favor of Jewish refugees from Transnistria. Intervention in favor of Italian Jewish refugees on request of Isaac Herzog, Great Rabbi of Palestine. Intervention in favor of Jewish refugees from Romania, Slovakia and Croatia. Intervention in favor of Jewish refugees from Greece. Intervention in favor of Jewish refugees from France, Germany and Hungary. Monsignor Roncalli's personal disposition to help Jewish refugees taken to Istanbul or in transit to Palestine. The effects of these interventions varied depending on the situation but were palpable and effective. For example, Slovakian children were able to leave the country. Some Hungarian Jews were saved from deportation to Auschwitz through baptismal certificates sent to the Hungarian Nuncio Monsignor Angelo Rotta by Monsignor Roncalli. Importantly, his work on behalf of Jewish-Christian reconciliation continued throughout his papacy. The Raoul Wallenberg Foundation has been advocating for some time for the bestowal of the title Righteous Among the Nations upon Roncalli.

Dimensions

5 3/4 x 4"

Keywords

Gallagher, Monsignor Angelo, King Boris, Bulgaria, Herzog, Pope Saint John XXIII, Richmond Hill, New York, Stamps, Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, Apostolic Delegate

Subcollection

Diplomats

Recommended Citation

"Postcard of Pope Saint John XXIII" (1959). Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection. 2015.2.79.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/bulmash/312