Dr. Juan de Lara Vázquez

Italian Institute for the History of the Modern and Contemporary Age (Rome)

Bio

Research fellow at the Italian Institute of Modern and Contemporary History in Rome. In July 2024, he earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Catania with a dissertation on international relations between the Holy See and Spain (1938-1953). He subsequently continued his research on migration from Europe to the Americas after the end of World War II and the formation of neo-fascist networks between Italy and Spain beginning in 1943.

Aid from Across the Mediterranean: The Management of Prisoners and Refugees by Pontifical Organizations in the Maghreb (1943–1945)

Abstract

This study examines the role of the Holy See and its organizations in assisting prisoners, refugees, and displaced people in the Maghreb between 1943 and 1945. Focusing on the Ufficio Informazioni and Commissione Soccorsi, it highlights their collaboration with humanitarian organizations during World War II. Newly accessible Vatican archives, opened in 2020, provide a previously missing perspective, allowing researchers to reassess existing narratives of migration, humanitarian aid, and the Holy See’s role in North Africa.