Monsignor Martin T. Gilligan's Diplomatic Mission and the Rise of Communism in China, 1946–1953

Abstract

Abstract:Monsignor Martin T. Gilligan, a member of the Holy See's diplomatic corps from Cincinnati, Ohio, was appointed secretary to China's first Papal Internuncio, Archbishop Antonio Riberi, when bilateral diplomatic relations were established between Rome and the Chinese Nationalist (Guomindang) government. Gilligan's correspondence from 1946 to 1953 records the government's successive defeats in the Chinese civil war, communism's growing strength, and the suffering of native Chinese and missionary clergy and religious. The Internuncio sent Gilligan to accompany the retreating Nationalist government and assist exiled clergy and religious entering Hong Kong. By 1952, the need to assist refugees declined, prompting a discernment that ultimately led Gilligan to resign from the Holy See's diplomatic service and return to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.