Against the Dangers of Gender Equality: The Position of the Holy See on Public Female Gymnastics in Germany and Italy during the Interwar Period

Abstract

Several recently disclosed dossiers kept in the most important archives of the Holy See and the Roman Archives of the Jesuits include information regarding the position of the Holy See towards public female gymnastics in Germany and Italy during the Interwar period. Given the reaction against these displays, the Vatican considered the masculinization of women and gender equality to be great dangers toward Catholic marriage and maternity. Concern for these matters, and for public morality, proved the principal motivation behind the negative attitude of the Holy See — specifically the official stance taken by Pope Pius XI— towards the participation of young girls in the public competitions of the National Socialist and Fascist regimes.