SPELLMAN, FRANCIS CARDINAL 1889-1967

Archbishop of new york

The American Pope

Francis Cardinal Spellman, named to the Papal Curia in 1946, was America's leading Roman Catholic clergyman in the mid twentieth century. His enemies sometimes called him "the American Pope," and the cardinal's residence and office on Fifth Avenue was openly referred to as "The Powerhouse." A staunch defender of the interests of his church as he saw them, he had few compunctions in engaging in public quarrels with those he opposed. As in his quarrel with Eleanor Roosevelt in the late 1940s over government aid to parochial schools, he frequently accused his opponents of being prejudiced against Catholics.

Ambassador Controversy

One of his tactics was to create controversy in 1951, when President Harry S Truman nominated Gen. Mark Clark ambassador to the Vatican. Cardinal Spellman defended this appointment and its usefulness but weakened his case by implying those who opposed diplomatic relations with the papacy were anti-Catholic. In spite of extensive Catholic support for the appointment, Clark withdrew his nomination in early 1952. The resistance from Protestants and other people concerned about direct political relations with what they saw as a religion was too great. No ambassador was named.

Protestant Suspicion

Protestants, alarmed by the thought of a direct connection between the United States government and the Vatican, continued to express their concern, directing much of it at the cardinal. But Cardinal Spellman continued to support diplomatic relations and made it clear that he disapproved of Sen. John F. Kennedy's promise that he would not appoint an ambassador to the Vatican when in 1958 the Roman Catholic senator began his campaign for the presidency.

Movie Censorship

Cardinal Spellman further angered non-Catholics and civil libertarians by his attempts to block presentations of films he considered morally offensive. The controversy over The Miracle in 1950 led to the 1952 Supreme Court ruling in Burstyn v. Wilson that extended First Amendment protection to movies, thereby making regulation and censorship more difficult. In spite of this loss Cardinal Spellman attacked the movie Baby Doll from his pulpit in 1956, condemning it for sexual immorality. The resulting uproar probably contributed to the film's financial success.

Political Power

The cardinal used his power in church, city, state, and government affairs. He linked his religion and his patriotism, as did many other religious figures during these early years of the cold war. As military vicar for the United States, the cardinal endeared himself to soldiers and their families, as well as to his fellow Catholics, by his frequent appearances before the military. This was particularly true in the bitter years of the Korean War, when he made several trips to the battle field.

End of an Era

Spellman's significance was more telling in the years and decades that followed the 1950s. Spellman wielded power when the public perception of American Catholicism was that it was unified and of one mind. With the crisis of Vatican II during the early 1960s and the turmoil of the Vietnam War, Catholics came to be seen as one more group rent by divisive disagreements over substantive matters. He was probably the last Amer- ican Catholic clergyman to seem to speak for a unified religious body.

Sources:

John Cooney, The American Pope: The Life and Times of Francis Cardinal Spellman (New York: Times Books, 1984);

Robert I. Gannon, S.J., The Cardinal Spellman Story (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1962);

Langdon B. Gilkey, Catholicism Confronts Modernism: A Protestant View (New York: Seabury Press, 1975).