When Joseph Ratzinger was 12, a Bavarian came to live in the Apostolic Palace and stayed there for the next 19 years as the literal and functional keeper of the keys of access to Pope Pius XII, preceding the election of the Bavarian Pope by 66 years. The fascinating story of this Bavarian nun, Mother Pascalina (Josephine) Lehnert (1894-1983) is told in a film that Ignatius Press is releasing on DVD in its English version. The film is based on a 2007 biography of the nun published in Germany.
'God's mighty servant':
A film on Pius XII's
secretary and housekeeper
Top panel, from left: Pascalina at age 88, one year before her death; arriving in Rome for John XXIII's funeral in 1963 (and below it, her tombstone in the Vatican's German cemetery); her 1959 memoir about Pius XII; and a 1983 biography that first brought widespread public attention to 'La Popessa' (the picture on the cover is Pascalina as a young nun}. Bottom panel, the DVD; right photo, Mother Pascalina (background), sits watch after Pius XII died in Castel Gandolfo.
Here is the blurb from Ignatius Press about the DVD:
This is the amazing story of Sister Pascalina Lehnert (1894-1983) who was the housekeeper, personal confidant and secretary to Pope Pius XII for 40 years, when he was the Papal Nuncio in Germany, and then after for his whole Pontificate. The Pope had great confidence in her wisdom, energy and loyalty, and she became known as "the most powerful woman in the history of the Vatican."
In 1918, the young nun Pascalina was sent to Munich to be the housekeeper of the new Papal Nuncio, Eugenio Pacelli. Though they seemed to have little in common, Pacelli became impressed by Pascalina's directness, zeal and alertness. During his delicate negotiations on the Concordat with Bavaria and Prussia, he benefits from Pascalina's pertinent comments and clear-headed views. He is sad to leave her behind when he is appointed Cardinal Secretary of State in 1929 and moves to Vatican City - where women are forbidden to live.
But Pascalina's loyalty and strong support are missed, and she is invited to work in the Vatican - the first woman ever to do so. As part of Pacelli's Vatican household, she contends with the intrigues and rivalries of men who resent the privileges she enjoys and the power she wields. But all in-fighting soon pales before the horrors of the war, which begins the same year that Pacelli is elected Pope and becomes Pius XII.
As the war tears Europe apart, the Pope puts his life, and the papacy itself, on the line by opposing the Nazis and fascists. Visiting the injured, steering through plots and conspiracies, he relies heavily on Sister Pascalina, his most important link to the world of the suffering and the persecuted. Thanks to the fearlessness of Rome's clergy and the tirelessness of Pascalina, he manages to save the lives of many Roman Jews. As head of the private papal charity, Pascalina uses her organizational skills to help thousands. She remains at Pacelli's side until his death in 1958, as his most important confidante, valued adviser and friend - God's mighty servant to the end. Starring Christine Neubauer, Remo Girone, Wilfried Hochholdinger, Renato Scarpa.
It is said that as soon as Pius XII died, the cardinals in charge during the sede vacante asked Mother Pascalina to vacate the Vatican ASAP. She retired to Vienna where she died of a cerebral hemorrhage when she was 89. She was brought back to the Vatican to be buried in the Camposanto Teutonico (German cemetery) in the Vatican Gardens. Cardinal Ratzinger was among those who attended her funeral.
A bit more about Mother Pascalina may be gleaned from Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascalina_Lehnert
The information about her work directing Pius XII's personal charities, especially in aiding refugees and persecuted Jews during the war, is particularly impressive.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 23/04/2012 09:18]