The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican

“God has no country.”

Little know Msgr. Hugh O'Flaherty, got his nick-name—The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican—because he frequently evading the Nazis in disguise while saving over 6,500 Jews and Allied soldiers during WWII! His motto was “God has no country.”

The title photo seems to show Fr. Hugh’s character! He was born in Cork, and lived his early life in Kerry. After a late vocation he went to Rome to complete his studies…and remained (instead of going to Cape Town as planned.) He was appointed papal chamberlain with the title of Monsignor in 1934.

During WWII, the Vatican was neutral territory so he often left the Vatican at night despite the danger of being shot or tortured. The Nazi’s became aware that a priest was the ring-leader of the group and attempted to assassinate him after discovering his identity.

The scale of Fr. Hugh’s operation was stunning. (Obviously O’Flaherty’s ‘Underground Railroad’ was not the only group helping Jews to escape the Nazi’s in Rome.)

Of the 9,700 Jews in Rome, 1,007 had been shipped to Auschwitz. The rest were hidden, over 5,000 of them by the Church, 300 in Castel Gandolfo, 200 or 400 (estimates vary) as "members" of the Palatine Guard and some 1,500 in monasteries, convents and colleges. The remaining 3,700 were hidden in private homes.

During the liberation of Rome, O'Flaherty and Derry's organisation was caring for 3,925 escapees and men who had succeeded in evading arrest. Of them, 1,695 were British, 896 South African, 429 Russian, 425 Greek and 185 American. The remainder were from a further 20 nations. That does not include Jews and sundry other men and women who were in O'Flaherty's personal care.

A smaller part of O’Flaherty’s story caught my eye:

O'Flaherty regularly visited his old nemesis, Herbert Kappler (the former SS chief in Rome), in prison month after month and was Kappler's only visitor. In 1959, Kappler converted to Catholicism and was baptised by O'Flaherty.

His story is documented in a 2023 book by Fiorella De Maria:

…and Gregory Peck starred as O’Flaherty in the 1983 movie, The Scarlet and the Black, with Sir John Gielgud and Christopher Plummer.

“Righteous Among the Nations”

According to Wikipedia, O’Flaherty has not received the title of “Righteous Among the Nations” from the Supreme Court of Israel. So far, only one Irish person has this honour: Mary Elmes. (I could not find information on the SCOI web site.)

There are 4 main requirements for this honour:

• Only a Jewish party can put forward a nomination

• Helping a family member or helping a Jew who converted to Christianity is not ground for recognition;

• Assistance has to be repeated or substantial

• Assistance has to be given without any financial gain expected in return (although covering expenses such as food is acceptable)

The first requirement is covered because an application to have him added to the rolls was being prepared in 2017; the second clause is not applicable and he covered the remaining two in spades. (I may check further with the Israeli Consular Services in Canada.)

Fr. O’Flaherty gives us a remarkable example of charity, kindness, humility and true Christianity. We should follow his example, knowing that “God has no country!”

Kevin Hay.

You can follow Kevin on 𝕏 / Twitter @ kevinhay77