Father Peter Gumpel, the memory of a friend

On Wednesday 12 October 2022 the Jesuit Fr. Peter (aka Kurt) Gumpel has ended his earthly exodus, and has reached the Father’s House. He was 98 years old. For some time he had been hospitalized in the infirmary of the Residenza San Pietro Canisio in Rome. I visited him periodically, and stayed with him for several hours. Born in Hanover on November 15, 1923, this German religious remains known for his historical contributions, for the roles covered in his own Order, for the support of his brother Fr. Paolo Molinari appointed expert at Vatican II (ref. ‘Lumen Gentium ‘), for the fiduciary duties received from Pontiffs, for teaching (‘History of dogmas’And ‘Theology of Catholic Spirituality ‘) at the Pontifical Gregorian University (Rome), for the work done alongside Fr. Molinari at the headquarters of the General Postulation of the Jesuit Fathers in Rome.

The family and childhood

Fr Gumpel came from a wealthy German family. The paternal grandfather controlled a bank, factories and shareholdings in companies. He was an advisor to President Paul von Hindenburg. And he was very much opposed to a possible appointment of Hitler to the Chancellorship. However, when the head of National Socialism became Chancellor, a critical period began for the Gumpels. The family had to leave Germany. In this context, Kurt (he was 10 years old and was with his mother) studied in France, in a small village. He began to learn the language but it was not easy – being German – to fit in with the other children. After two years he was able to return to Berlin. In 1939, the temporary arrest of his mother, motivated a new expatriation. Kurt was sent to Nijmegen (Nijmegen), Holland. Here, he studied in the Jesuit high school boarding school. In the latter country he learned the language. Later, he became a good connoisseur of the Netherlands, when decades later the question of Dutch Catechism (1966; some heterodox statements), Paul VI sent him as his trustee on a visit to Holland.

The vocation

In that period, the young Kurt felt a vocational orientation: that of becoming a Jesuit. The parent’s reaction was harsh. He later told Fr. Gumpel to Don Ariel S. Levi di Gualdo: “We were in the car, my father stopped, he made me get out with my dachshund dog with whom I traveled a few kilometers on foot to return home. When I entered my father told me never to go back to certain fantasies. Then he added that he would allow me to enter the Society of Jesus only if the Supreme Pontiff himself told him ”. Tells the to. cit. that the young man took his father at his word. The family had known and had a guest several times with Archbishop Eugenio Pacelli, at the time apostolic nuncio to Berlin, who later became Pope in 1939, to whom he did not hesitate to write. A month later the father received an autograph letter from Pius XII begging him to allow his son to enter the Society of Jesus.

However, in the meantime, the young Kurt – having passed his high school exams – had started his philosophy studies in Nijmegen (he was still a layman). In 1944 he entered the Novitiate of the Dutch Jesuit Province. In 1947 he was called to Rome as a philosophy repeater at the Germanic College. He thus started a cursus of academic teaching. He was 23 years old.

Already at that time he was in contact with the Father General of the Order Jean Baptiste Janssens. Later, the religious faced theological studies to Heythrop (UK) and the third year in Gandia (Spain).

Friendship with Father Molinari

To Heythrop p. Gumpel was also able to interact with his brother Paolo Molinari. An understanding ensued that lasted a lifetime. In that period, Fr. Gumpel was a fan of Fr. Molinari who played football. To Don Ariel’s question (cit.) if he had ever played, with humor he replied: “No, because it is intellectually more rewarding and physically less tiring to cheer from the stands for those who play”. In that period he helped Fr. Molinari to learn English.

In Gandia p. Gumpel was able to observe the reality of the country and the Church. While he was in Spain, the General asked him to modify the doctoral thesis. From issues concerning philosophy he had to deal with topics of the history of dogmas. Fr Gumpel obeyed. Back in Rome, he resumed writing the new thesis.

Councilor of Paul VI

In September 1952 he was ordained a priest. From 1960 he became vice postulator general of the Jesuit Order. He earned his doctorate in 1964 from the Gregorian. An important moment in his life was the call he received from John XXIII. The Pope had read an article by him, written with Fr. Molinari, published in the magazine Gregorianum on the function of the saints in the Church And he wanted to meet them both. He thus began an interaction that deepened further with Paul VI. During the years of the Council, Fr. Gumpel and p. Molinari were advisers to the Pope. Furthermore, they were able to meet many bishops, providing them with theological contributions (Fr Molinari was an expert at the Council).

In the context outlined so far there is a considerable number of facts, episodes, difficulties. Think of the painful end reserved in Germany for the paternal grandfather, the expropriation of family assets by the Nazis, the death of his mother, the trials he faced abroad (especially in Holland) because of his German nationality, the delicate missions for the his Order (even in territorial areas where it was dangerous to speak openly), to the mediation between Father General Pedro Arrupe and Paul VI …

The study on Pius XII

Among his greatest merits is the decades-long study of the figure and work of Pius XII. This commitment took shape in 1965, following theiter the cause of beatification of the Servant of God Eugenio Pacelli (who later became Pope) entrusted to the Jesuits. It belongs to him, and to Fr. Molinari, the merit of having developed particularly rigorous investigations. When some witness reported incompletely, Fr. Gumpel called him back until he reached clarity on every little detail. The rigor of this Jesuit made it possible to make known the actions of Pope Pacelli during the Second World War. At a time when the Vatican Archives for the period of Pius XII (1939-1958) were not yet available, Fr. Gumpel, ex-officiowith the authorization of Paul VI, he was able to examine the most diverse documents and demonstrate various historical facts.

From 1972 to 1983 he was theological judge at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. From 1983 to 2013 he became relator in the canonical process of beatification of the Servant of God Eugenio Pacelli (later Pius XII).

In particular, the tenacious Jesuit (his rigor caused him suffering), with his work, demonstrated that there was no “Hitler Pope”, no “pro-Nazi” Pontiff, and that in the Catholic world the actions in defense of the Jews they not only expressed individual initiatives, but were interventions connected to the official exhortations of the Pope (speeches, addresses, radio messages, audiences), and to the missions promoted by Pius XII (through trustees), carried out in an inconspicuous way.

The “black” legends

In 1983, John Paul II conferred on him the role of rapporteur for the cause of Pacelli’s beatification. During this period, Fr. Gumpel succeeded – finding various documents – in destroying two “black legends” that weighed on the memory of Pius XII. A “legend” came from the Nazis. These had worked, especially in Poland, to spread the message that the Pope remained insensitive to requests for help from local populations. Reality was different. It was the Nazis who systematically eliminated any Vatican action, and diverted humanitarian aid.

The second “legend” came from the communist world. Pius XII had condemned atheist communism following the line of previous Popes. To counter this magisterial orientation, exponents of the Moscow regime did not hesitate to disseminate data that slandered the Pope showing him weak, inert, and sensitive to the strong powers. This “legend” was eventually discovered thanks also to documents found in the STASI archives and testimonies of former Russian leaders.

In 2009, Benedict XVI proclaimed Pius XII Venerable. That is to say, the heroic virtues were recognized.

Despite this, the figure of this Pontiff continued to be criticized above all by some exponents of the Jewish world who criticized an alleged silence on the Shoah. Also in this case, it was necessary to further study documents and to listen to new testimonies (including Jewish ones) to demonstrate that Pius XII did not choose passivity but rather an action capable of saving human lives. This line of action eventually led to the protection of a large number of the persecuted.

In the progress of the research mentioned above, another evidence emerged: many abandoned the Jews in the hour of persecution (including the Anglo-Americans). There was no shortage of informers and collaborators of the Axis regimes. Yet some significant figures of the current Jewish world continue to remain silent on such realities.

The historian

I had the honor of interacting with Fr. Gumpel for a long time. He has written the forewords to ten of my history books. He studied every page of the proofs and wrote down hundreds of additions, even minimal ones. I spoke with him for many hours in his room, even when the disease forced him to stay in a wheelchair, with a permanent catheter. And I’ve always been struck by his lucidity. This dear friend was not an emotional. He was very faithful to the Church and to the Pope. Together with this, he knew how to develop historical analyzes where he did not allow himself to be influenced by pressures or currents of thought. He knew how to be clear, balanced, always careful to cite sources. For him there were no enemies but only interlocutors possibly positioned on other lines. Combined with this, Father Gumpel remained rigorous in ethical aspects. Even on some occasions he chose to follow uncomfortable but clear options. In the same Congregation for the Causes of Saints, for example, he lobbied to avoid a “round” of money that he was outside of certain responsibilities. He then accentuated the actions to enhance the economic fund reserved for the causes in which the “actors” did not possess economic strength. He interacted firmly with some colleagues to complete historical investigations in unclear cases (where he tended to “close” quickly). And he invited the Ecclesiastical Authorities to watch over oaths concerning unclear cases.

Faithful to the Church and to the Pope

In terms of our private relationships, Father Gumpel was for me a priest, father, colleague, teacher and witness of the faith. His way of welcoming, respect for the visitor, attention to personal events, wishes for the holidays, his blessing at the end of the interview, remain among the best memories of my life. Even the most hidden episodes of his life remain a source of light in me. I think of when he intervened in silence in support of the weakest. And I also remember when he (he was not yet stuck in a wheelchair) he punctually went to the refectory to help those most affected by pathologies to feed themselves. On his table there was always a crucifix, a Marian image and a rosary. In this sense, he did not preach simple rules of behavior, but positive reasons for opening oneself to God-Life.

Pier Luigi GuiducciChurch historian

Father Peter Gumpel, the memory of a friend – Jesuits