Robert Leiber

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Nuncio Eugenio Pacelli and Father Robert Leiber (right behind him), after the Prussian Concordat was concluded, 1929

Robert Leiber SJ (born April 10, 1887 in Homberg, now part of Deggenhausertal ; † February 18, 1967 in Rome ) was a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University and personal assistant, later private secretary of Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII), in the Years 1924–1958. He also worked as a Vatican secret diplomat in support of the German resistance against National Socialism.

Live and act

Robert Leiber was born in Baden Deggenhausertal, district Homberg, entered the Society of Jesus and became a priest. Historically interested, he supported Ludwig Pastor in writing his multi-volume papal story.

From 1924, Father Leiber was a personal assistant to Nuncio Eugenio Pacelli in Munich and Berlin . When he was appointed to the Roman Curia, he also accompanied him there. From 1930 Robert Leiber worked as a professor of church history at the Gregoriana in Rome, where he worked and lived until the end of his life. After the papal election in 1939, Father Leiber was a private secretary among Pope Pius XII's closest personal circle . and supported him in writing his speeches on a wide variety of topics. An offer from Pope John XXIII. He declined to continue working for him for health reasons and referred to his brother Augustin Bea . Leiber suffered from periodic attacks of asthma , which debilitated him. He died in Rome in 1967. Robert Leiber had a fine sense of humor; one of his favorite quotes was:

I congratulate you on being allowed to sunbathe in the shadow of the Holy See.

Secret diplomat

During the Second World War, the extremely dangerous contacts between parts of the German resistance and England ran through the Bavarian Joseph Müller , known as "Ochsensepp", who in turn visited Professor Robert Leiber in Rome. The conspiratorial conversations always took place in his private rooms at the Gregoriana - Piazza della Pilotta 4. According to a report in Spiegelmagazin No. 20 from 1969, Müller and Leiber always proceeded with great care. As soon as Müller arrived in Rome, he phoned, without naming his name, with: "I'm here", to which Leiber only gave the time of the meeting to answer. From Father Leiber the contact led directly to the Pope and through him to the British Ambassador to the Holy See, Sir Francis d'Arcy Osborne .

Honors

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. To Homberg's place of birth
  2. Mirror report on Father Leiber and the German-English contacts of the resistance running through him