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June 1, 1914, Angelo Roncalli visited Rome with the Seminary rector of Bergamo. Cardinal Giuseppe De Lai, who was the secretary of the Consistorial Congregation, suspected Roncalli of being a Modernist, began a background check on him and kept his activities under close watch.

1921, One of Roncalli’s closest friends in the seminary was Ernesto Buonaiuti who assisted Fr. Roncalli at his first Mass in 1904. Buonaiuti was excommunicated in 1921 and again in 1924. He was declared vitandus in 1926. (The term vitandus means that the pope personally expelled him from the Catholic Church.)

1924, Roncalli was given a teaching position at the Lateran University until he was suspected of Modernism. He was thereupon relieved of his post. For the remainder of the year, Roncalli fulfilled tasks of minor importance at the Vatican but was closely watched. The Modernist label given to Roncalli, carried with him for the remainder of his life.

1958, “Shortly after he had become Pope. . . Roncalli visited a certain Congregation’s office and asked for his personal file. He said that he wanted to find out why a routine promotion had been so long delayed. Looking back to those early years he found against his name the damning words: ‘suspected of Modernism’.