ABSTRACT

In October 1935, as the Italian army marched into Ethiopia, many foreign commentators were perplexed by the lack of response from the Vatican. Diplomatic relations with the Vatican were integral to Italian efforts to counter the almost unanimously negative international reaction to the invasion of Ethiopia. Fascist diplomatic pressure therefore provided the most immediate of several obstacles confronted by Vatican officials during the Italo-Ethiopian crisis. During an international crisis in which the Italian government found itself almost completely isolated, the outward neutrality of the Vatican was a significant victory for the Fascist regime. The Vatican had saved Italy from total isolation during the war and helped it escape isolation in the immediate aftermath through its efforts against sanctions. During the Italo-Ethiopian war, the Fascist regime had its way influencing Vatican policy, but only the Vatican would survive the aftermath. During the Ethiopian crisis, the Italians used the Vatican as a tool to avoid diplomatic isolation.