PIUS XI

Pius XI will be remembered as the pope who reigned between the two great wars of the 20th century. The onetime librarian and mountain climber, he reorganised the Vatican archives. Pius XI fought the two ascendant ideologies of communism and fascism. His success in fighting them was limited and there is much controversy over the concordats he entered with European regimes to improve the situation of the Catholic Church. At the outset, it was clear that he found communism to be the greater of the two evils but in his later years, there is no doubt that he was repelled by the momentum of Nazi Germany, not only in its opposition to the Catholic Church but also in the ferocity of its attacks on the Jewish people.Before being appointed Pope, Achille Ratti was the manager of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, the historic library of Milan.He used to sign letters as : Bibliotecario Ambrosiana Ratti, so B.A. Ratti.TranscriptionMilano B. A. 21.VI.13. Illustrissimo e caro Signore, Grazie di cuore per la buona amichevole Sua 12 corrente. Mi spiace molto quant Ella mi scrive de Suoi dolori e faccio voti, che non s'avveri prognosi dell; ella suo Signor fratello, che ho avuto il bene di conoscere all'occasione di raccomandargli un buon diavolo che aveva bisogno, purtroppo, dell'opera Sua e pel quale egli ebbe indimenticabile ed indimenticate bonta. Se ne ha occasione me gli ricordi, prego e megli raccomandi. Ho poi subito fatto tesoro delle preziose Sue indicazioni e ho pregato il Senatore Li Beltrani di venirmi in aiuto per quei volumi Galileiani, ciò che egli ha fatto, come suole, senza indugio. Sono edificantissime le burocratiche gesta ch'Ella mi narra; noi qui diciamo: roba da chiodi! E purtroppo è leggitimo il timore che Galileo stia per essere superato da Leonardo. A proposito, grazie del giornale speditoni: non conoscevo l'articolo suo; lo lessi con grande interesse e con …. continui legui di assenso è da un pezzo che sono del di Lei parere! Del Tartaglia niente; del Moletti molto, come sa: se in qualche cosa – almeno nella descrizione dei codici – posso servirla, mi tenga a sua disposizione. La riveriseo e Le auguro ogni bene devotissimo obbligato. B.A. RattiTranslationMilan B. A. June, 21 st of 1913. Most Illustrious and Dear Sir, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind and friendly message of the 12th of this month. I am deeply sorry when you write to me about your sorrows, and I pray that the prognosis for your brother, whom I had the good fortune to meet when I recommended to him a good man who, unfortunately, needed your help and for whom he showed unforgettable and unforgettable kindness, will not come true. If you have the opportunity, please remind him, and give him my best regards. I then immediately took to heart your precious suggestions and asked Senator Li Beltrani to come to my aid with those Galilean volumes, which he did, as is his wont, without delay. The bureaucratic deeds you recount to me are most edifying; we here say: That's crazy!. And unfortunately, the fear that Galileo will be overtaken by Leonardo is legitimate. By the way, thanks for the newspaper you sent: I wasn't aware of your article; I read it with great interest and with... continuous strings of assent. I've been of your opinion for a while now! Nothing about Tartaglia; a lot about Moletti, as you know: if I can help you with anything - at least in the description of the codices - please keep me at your disposal. I offer you my respects and wish you all the best. Yours sincerely, B.A. Ratti