Overview
Conference Dates: March 8-9, 2027
Conference Location: Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome
Co-organized with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Yad Vashem
Father Robert Leiber S.J. was Pope Pius XII’s (Eugenio Pacelli) personal secretary and unofficial advisor for over four decades, from Pius XII’s days as Apostolic Nuncio to Germany, through Cardinal Pacelli’s term as the Holy See’s Secretary of State, and into his years as pope (1939-1958). Father Leiber was witness and confidant to the future pope through the establishment of the Soviet Union (1922-1991), the German Weimar Republic (1919-1933), the rise of Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party in Italy (1922-1943), the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the Second World War (1939-1945), the Holocaust, and its aftermath as Europe was restructured over the course of the late 1940’s and 1950’s.
Through these extraordinary times, Father Leiber took part in and was privy to events that changed the world. Father Leiber taught history at the Pontificia Università Gregoriana throughout his time in Rome, where a portion of his personal papers are housed and will be made publicly available in 2027. This conference will rediscover Father Leiber as a crucial historical actor, as a deeply spiritual researcher and teacher, as a liaison for Pope Pius XII to the world’s most powerful leaders, and as a mirror for the times in which he lived.
We welcome paper proposals on any aspect of Fr. Leiber’s life and work, including but not limited to:
The role of the Berlin Nunciature in Weimar Germany
Leiber’s relationships and exchanges with key political leaders in Europe between 1919 and 1933
Leiber’s response to requests for help from victims of political repression in the 1930s
Leiber’s relationships with other powerful clerics
Leiber’s role as advisor to Pacelli on clandestine rescue by both Jewish and Catholic groups during World War II
Leiber’s role as the intermediary between the German Resistance, the British, and the attempted plots to overthrow Hitler
Leiber’s role in conveying the details of the Holocaust
Leiber’s role as a scholar and teacher at the Pontifical Gregorian University
Reflections on Leiber’s legacy
Leiber’s correspondence with Cardinal Augustin Bea and the Path Toward Vatican II
Application Details
Applications are welcome from scholars at all career levels, from PhD candidates to senior scholars. Apply via our online application by October 31, 2026.
Applications must include:
A curriculum vitae
A brief paper proposal of 300-400 words
Travel and Lodging
The conference will be held in-person only. For non-local participants, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will cover the cost of (1) direct travel to and from the participant’s home institution and Rome, and (2) lodging for the duration of the conference. All participants will also be provided $200 to defray the cost of ground transportation and incidentals. Questions about travel should be directed to religion@ushmm.org.
This conference is made possible by support from the Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies, Pontifical Gregorian University; the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; the International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem; and the Israeli Embassy to the Holy See.