# Antonio Caggiano

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Argentinian cardinal & Nazi sympathiser (1889-1979)

Antonio Caggiano Cardinal, Archbishop of Buenos Aires Church Catholic Church Archdiocese Buenos Aires Appointed 15 August 1959 Predecessor Santiago Copello Fermín Lafitte (ad interim) Successor Juan Carlos Aramburu Other post Cardinal-Priest of San Lorenzo in Panisperna Orders Ordination 23 March 1912 Consecration 17 March 1935 by Filippo Cortesi Created cardinal 18 February 1946 by Pius XII Rank Cardinal priest Personal details Born Antonio Caggiano (1889-01-30)January 30, 1889 Coronda, Santa Fe Province, Argentina Died October 23, 1979(1979-10-23) (aged 90) Buenos Aires Buried Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral Alma mater Seminary of Santa Fe

Styles of Antonio Caggiano Reference style His Eminence Spoken style Your Eminence Informal style Cardinal See Buenos Aires

**Antonio Caggiano** (30 January 1889 – 23 October 1979) was an [archbishop](/source/Archbishop) and a [cardinal](/source/Cardinal_(Catholicism)) of the [Roman Catholic Church](/source/Roman_Catholic_Church) in [Argentina](/source/Argentina). He played a part in helping Nazi sympathisers and war criminals escape prosecution in Europe by easing their passage to South America.

## Biography

Caggiano was born in [Coronda](/source/Coronda), Santa Fe Province. He studied in the seminary of [Santa Fe](/source/Santa_Fe%2C_Argentina) and became a priest there in 1908, at the age of 23. From 1913 to 1931 he taught at the seminary. In the 1920s he was sent to [Rome](/source/Rome) by the Argentine episcopacy, together with three other priests, in order to study the organization of the *[Azione Cattolica](/source/Azione_Cattolica)* (the [Italian](/source/Italy) [Catholic Action](/source/Catholic_Action)). The Argentine [Catholic Action](/source/Catholic_Action) was founded in 1931 following this model.

Caggiano was appointed the first [bishop](/source/Bishop) of the newly erected [Diocese of Rosario](/source/Archdiocese_of_Rosario) on 13 September 1934, for which he was consecrated on 14 March 1935. [Pope Pius XII](/source/Pope_Pius_XII) elevated him to Cardinal on 18 February 1946.

In his 2002 book *The Real Odessa*[1] [Uki Goñi](/source/Uki_Go%C3%B1i) showed that Argentine diplomats and intelligence officers had, on [Perón](/source/Per%C3%B3n)'s instructions, vigorously encouraged Nazi and Fascist war criminals to make their home in Argentina. Argentina's first move into Nazi smuggling was in January 1946, when Caggiano flew with Bishop Agustín Barrére to Rome where Caggiano was due to be created cardinal. While in Rome, the Argentine bishops met with French Cardinal [Eugène Tisserant](/source/Eug%C3%A8ne_Tisserant), where they passed on a message (recorded in Argentina's diplomatic archives) that "the Government of the Argentine Republic was willing to receive French persons, whose [political attitude](/source/Collaboration_during_World_War_II) during the recent war would expose them, should they return to France, to harsh measures and private revenge". Over the spring of 1946 a number of French war criminals, [fascists](/source/French_Fascism) and [Vichy](/source/Vichy_France) officials made it from Italy to Argentina in the same way: they were issued passports by the Rome [ICRC](/source/International_Committee_of_the_Red_Cross) office; these were then stamped with Argentine tourist visas (the need for health certificates and return tickets was waived on Caggiano's recommendation). The first documented case of a French war criminal arriving in Buenos Aires was [Emile Dewoitine](/source/Emile_Dewoitine), who was later sentenced in absentia to 20 years hard labour. He sailed first class on the same ship back with Cardinal Caggiano.[2][3]

Caggiano participated in the [1958](/source/Papal_conclave%2C_1958) and [1963 Papal conclaves](/source/Papal_conclave%2C_1963), but his age prevented him from participating in the conclaves of 1978.

On 15 August 1959 he was appointed [Archbishop of Buenos Aires](/source/Archdiocese_of_Buenos_Aires). He was installed there on 25 October. On 14 December of that year he was also appointed head of the [Military Ordinariate](/source/Military_ordinariate) of Argentina.

Caggiano retired from the Archbishopric on 22 April 1975, and resigned from the Military Ordinariate on 7 July of the same year. He was the Archbishop Emeritus of Buenos Aires for four more years. He died in 1979, at the age of 90, and was buried in the [Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires](/source/Metropolitan_Cathedral_of_Buenos_Aires).

## Views

### *Le Marxisme-Léninisme*

In 1961, Caggiano wrote a prologue for the Spanish translation by Juan Francisco Guevara (who later became a colonel) of *Le Marxisme-léninisme*, written by [Jean Ousset](/source/Jean_Ousset), private secretary of [monarchist](/source/Monarchism) intellectual [Charles Maurras](/source/Charles_Maurras), and founder of the *[Cité catholique](/source/Cit%C3%A9_catholique)* [fundamentalist](/source/Catholic_fundamentalism) organization. The book states that Marxism–Leninism can be successfully combated only by a "profound faith, an unlimited obedience to the Holy Father, and a thorough knowledge of the Church's doctrines"; and Caggiano thanked the "men of *La Ciudad Católica* of Argentina" for publishing the book.[4]

Along with Colonel [Jean Gardes](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jean_Gardes&action=edit&redlink=1), French expert in [psychological warfare](/source/Psychological_warfare), Ousset developed the new concept of "[subversion](/source/Subversion_(politics))". According to [Horacio Verbitsky](/source/Horacio_Verbitsky), an Argentine-Jewish member of the far-left [Montoneros](/source/Montoneros) paramilitary, who does not say that it was expounded in the book, this concept "conceived a protean, quintessential enemy who, rather than being defined by his actions, was seen as a force trying to subvert Christian order, [natural law](/source/Natural_law) or the Creator's plan."[5] Verbitsky also says that the *Cité catholique* included members of the [OAS](/source/Organisation_de_l'arm%C3%A9e_secr%C3%A8te) terrorist group founded in Madrid during the [Algerian War](/source/Algerian_War), and that the first branch outside France was created in 1958 in Argentina.[6]

In this prologue, Caggiano explained that Marxism is born of "the negation of Christ and his Church put into practice by the [Revolution](/source/Revolution)" and spoke of a Marxist conspiracy to take over the world, for which it was necessary to "prepare for the decisive battle," although the enemy had not yet "taken up arms." Caggiano compared this vigilance to the one that preceded the 1571 [Battle of Lepanto](/source/Battle_of_Lepanto_(1571)) "to save Europe from domination by the Turks".[4] Ousset's book included a list of the [papal bulls](/source/Papal_bull) condemning communism.

On this basis, Verbitsky, a member of the far-left [Montoneros](/source/Montoneros) paramilitary, attributed to Caggiano support for "human rights violations", commenting: "As often happens in a continent that imports ideas, the doctrine of annihilation preceded that of the revolutionary uprising."[4]

### Counter-insurgency

In October 1961, Caggiano, who was then vicar of the Argentine Military Ordinariate, participated in the inauguration ceremony of the first course on [counter-revolutionary warfare](/source/Counter-revolutionary_warfare) in the Higher Military College at the side of President [Arturo Frondizi](/source/Arturo_Frondizi), who within a few months was ousted, accused, Verbitsky says, of being too tolerant towards communism.

Verbitsky says that Bishop Victorio Bonamín, Caggiano's associate in the military [vicariate](/source/Vicariate) general, was one of the instructors in the course, but not Caggiano himself. He also says that in the course of [counter-insurgency](/source/Counterinsurgency) classes cadets at the [Navy Mechanics School](/source/Navy_Petty-Officers_School_of_Mechanics) were shown the film *[The Battle of Algiers](/source/The_Battle_of_Algiers_(film))* (1966), made by Italian communist director [Gillo Pontecorvo](/source/Gillo_Pontecorvo). The film, which was [censored in France](/source/Censorship_in_France), showed the methods used by the [French colonial army](/source/French_Armed_Forces) in Algeria, including the [systemic use of torture](/source/Torture_during_the_Algerian_War). The naval chaplain (again, not Caggiano) introduced the film and added a commentary from the religious point of view, reportedly justifying the use of torture as a weapon.

## See also

- [Marie-Monique Robin](/source/Marie-Monique_Robin)

- [Dirty War](/source/Dirty_War)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-UG1_1-0)** From the 'Perón tapes' he recorded the year before his death, published in *Yo, Domingo Perón*, Luca de Tena *et al.*; this translation as quoted in [Uki Goñi](/source/Uki_Go%C3%B1i)'s *The Real Odessa: Smuggling the Nazis to Perón's Argentina*, Granta (revised edition) 2003, p. 100

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Goñi, *The Real Odessa: Smuggling the Nazis to Perón's Argentina*, Granta (revised edition) 2003, pp. 96–98

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Uki Goñi, *The Real Odessa*, Granta, London, 2002, and [La Odessa que creó Perón](http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-14198-2002-12-15.html), *[Pagina/12](/source/Pagina%2F12)*, 15 December 2002 (in Spanish) quote: "el cardenal Caggiano viajó al Vaticano en 1946 y ofreció en nombre del gobierno argentino al país como refugio de los criminales de guerra franceses escondidos en Roma."

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Verbitsky4_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Verbitsky4_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Verbitsky4_4-2) Quoted by [Horacio Verbitsky](/source/Horacio_Verbitsky), in *The Silence*, extract transl. in English made available by [openDemocracy](/source/OpenDemocracy): [Breaking the silence: the Catholic Church in Argentina and the "dirty war"](http://www.opendemocracy.net/content/articles/PDF/2709.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20061122064808/http://www.opendemocracy.net/content/articles/PDF/2709.pdf) 2006-11-22 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), July 28, 2005, p.4

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Verbitsky, *ibid.*, p. 3

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Verbitsky, *ibid.*, p. 3

## External links

- Hernán Pacheco, Pablo Carrera. [*Los que no están*. *Desaparecidos y dictadura cívico-militar en Florencio Varela (1976 – 1983)*](https://web.archive.org/web/20061128035629/http://www.nuncamas.org/investig/varela/varela_12.htm).

- [Horacio Verbitsky](/source/Horacio_Verbitsky), OpenDemocracy. 28 July 2005. [Breaking the silence: the Catholic Church in Argentina and the "dirty war"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160414055231/https://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-protest/catholicchurch_2709.jsp).

- ["Antonio Caggiano"](https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcaggiano.html). *[Catholic-Hierarchy.org](/source/Catholic-Hierarchy.org)*. David M. Cheney.

Catholic Church titles Preceded by none Bishop of Rosario 1934–1959 Succeeded by Silvino Martínez Preceded by Fermín Emilio Lafitte Archbishop of Buenos Aires 1959–1975 Succeeded by Juan Carlos Aramburu Preceded by Josef Frings Cardinal Protopriest 1978–1979 Succeeded by Carlos Vasconcellos Records Preceded by Alberto di Jorio Oldest living Member of the Sacred College 5 September – 23 October 1979 Succeeded by Carlos Vascocellos

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Antonio Caggiano](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Caggiano) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Caggiano?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.