WHEN GENERAL Garibaldi laid siege to the Papal States in 1870, he believed that by taking the sizable land holdings held by the Holy See, he was effectively ending the Papacy which operated in many ways like any other nation-states. And, in a sense, he did end the Catholic Church’s place as a traditional government power. But ironically, without a temporal kingdom, the Holy See became much more influential in world affairs, said Msgr. Kevin Kimtis, a member of the Diplomatic Corps of the Holy See who recently visited Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in La Habra on April 4.
MSGR. KEVIN KIMTIS CHATS WITH A GUEST OF THE APRIL 4 SPECIAL LENTEN DINNER AND TALK GIVEN BY THE PAPAL DIPLOMAT. PHOTOS BY YUAN WANG/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Over the next 60 years, after they were elected, the popes considered themselves prisoners of the Vatican, because to leave Vatican Hill, would be to enter hostile territory in Italy. But the Holy Father’s isolation also liberated the role of the Holy See to act as an influential and neutral player in world affairs. At first in small things like facilitating negotiations between Germany and Spain over islands in the middle of the Pacific. The Holy See’s ability to be neutral and seek peaceful outcomes between nations grew more important as world affairs became more dire.
“During World War I the Holy See mediated for peace, delivered mail to prisoners of war, gave tuberculosis vaccines to 26,000 prisoners and civilians in Switzerland,” said Msgr. Kimtis, who was ordained for the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey in 2011 and served in several parishes before studying abroad in Rome. “By the end of the war, Pope Benedict XV had nearly exhausted the treasury trying to carry out peace mediation and charitable works,” he added.
A GROUP OF PARISH STAFF AND ATTENDEES POSE FOR A GROUP PHOTO WITH FR. WILLIAM GOLDIN AND MSGR. KEVIN KIMTIS FOLLOWING A SPECIAL TALK GIVEN BY THE PAPAL DIPLOMAT.
After the war, he saw that not possessing land gave the pope influence but at the same time he wanted to resolve the stalemate surrounding the Vatican.
Msgr. Kimtis explained that in 1920, the new Soviet Union was beginning its military expansion and targeted Poland. At the time, Archbishop Achille Ratti was the Papal Nuncio to Warsaw. During the Battle of Warsaw, the entire diplomatic corps fled the capital with the exceptions of Archbishop Ratti and the Turkish ambassador. Archbishop Ratti believed it to be his moral duty to accompany the Poles at their time of trial and he visited Polish troops on the front.
For this, he gained great respect among the Poles who established a monument to him in front of the papal nunciature in Warsaw. By 1923, Archbishop Ratti became Pope Pius XI.
“A lifelong Papal diplomat” added the monsignor, “he was instrumental in forming the Holy See’s Diplomatic Corps and in 1929 he reached an accord with the Italian government and Vatican City, the smallest sovereign state in the world, was born.”
During the 20th century and into the 21st century, the Diplomatic Corps has played an important role in foreign affairs, often behind the scenes. Today, the Holy See maintains formal diplomatic relations with nearly 200 countries plus several international organizations such as the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the World Trade Organization.
While Spain and France have had diplomatic relations with the Holy See since the 15th century, most offices opened after 1870. The United States established formal diplomatic relations in 1984, two years after Great Britain.
The Holy See also has formal diplomatic relationships with several primarily Muslim nations including Syria, Egypt and Bahrain.
Fr. William Goldin, parochial administrator of Our Lady of Guadalupe, has been friends with Msgr. Kimtis since the two were earning advanced degrees in Rome. After their time in Rome, Bishop Vann assigned Fr. Goldin to parish ministry and teaching in the Diocese of Orange, and Msgr. Kimtis was selected for his role in the Diplomatic Corps. In addition to his current position in Guatemala, he has also served in India and Africa.