During World War II, Nazi forces led by Colonel Herman Kappler occupied Rome. Everyone in Rome, but especially the Jews, lived in terror of Kappler and his soldiers. Kappler was infamous for his brutality.
One of Kappler’s greatest enemies was an Irish priest in the Vatican, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. O’Flaherty was a fearless member of the underground resistance movement in Rome. He helped save more lives during the war than any other single person. Many times, Kappler tried to arrest O’Flaherty, or even to have him assassinated. But O’Flaherty’s network of informers managed to keep him one step ahead of Kappler at all times.
At the end of the war, Colonel Kappler was sentenced to life in prison for war crimes. During his stay in prison, Kappler only had one visitor. Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty visited him every month. In 1959, Monsignor O’Flaherty baptized Colonel Hermann Kappler into the Christian faith.
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Gallagher, J.P. The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican (New York: Coward-McCann Inc., 1967). Found in “Saving Colonel Kappler.” Adapted from Homiletics, September 1999.